Our Brand New World
by nekonohime
Summary: It's been a year since Wocky and Pearl got married. However, in the last few weeks, Pearl has been acting rather unlike herself, and everyone is deeply worried about her. What could be wrong? Wocky/Pearl.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello, again! I told you it was coming, and now, here it is! Yet another idea that I had in my head I've been just dying to get out, and finally I get to! So, here we go! (BTW this fics starts a year after "The Fox & His Angel")**_

* * *

About a year ago, Pearl Fey had married Wocky Kitaki, her self proclaimed 'special someone' that she had met two years ago. Just recently, they had had their first wedding anniversary.

It was a big deal in the family, and of course they had to have a huge, extravagant party to celebrate. It was fun and everyone had a good time.

However, in the past few weeks, Pearl had started to act different. No one was really sure why, since she insisted that she was "fine" and that they shouldn't worry. She started acting more irritable and tired than usual, and just seemed to not be herself.

~*~

This morning, Wocky was the first to wake up, which was rather unusual, since Pearl always was up before him helping his mother make breakfast.

"_This is been happenin' for a coupla weeks now", _He thought as he got out of bed and put his clothes on, _"I try to ask her what's wrong, an' she won't tell me! It's like she's tryin' to hide somethin'... An' Mom an' Pops are worried 'bout her too..."_

He then left the room and headed to the kitchen to join his parents for breakfast.

**

"Where's Pearl, sweetie?" Plum asked as they were eating.

"Still sleepin'", Wocky answered.

"She's been doing this for a while now", Winfred said, "I'm starting to worry if there's something seriously wrong with her..."

"A few weeks ago she was jus' fine, Pops, and then all of a sudden, _BAM!_ She's sleepin' all the time, she's actin' a lot bitchier than usual, she's jus' totally outta whack, man..."

"Oh, dear", His mother said, "Well, it's a good thing our family checkup is today... Maybe Dr. Zoobay can help us get to the bottom of Pearl's... Odd behavior... It's starting to worry me too..."

Soon they saw Pearl walk in very slowly, looking very drained.

Wocky got up and said, "Baby, What's wrong? You been actin' like this for weeks now!"

"I'm fine", She said, "I just have a bit of a... Urp... Bug..."

He then took her hand and said, "You need to get back in the bed... We're going to the doc's today so maybe he'll give ya somethin' for it..."

Pearl's eyes went wide when he said the word 'doc'.

"What, you scared of goin' to the doctor?"

"U-Um... Y-Yes, a little... I'm squeamish of blood and such..."

"Aw, it ain't _that_ bad!"

She fell silent.

**

When they got back to their room, she got back into bed as he put the covers over her.

"Now jus' stay here an' rest till we gotta go, OK? An' if ya need me, jus' call, awright?"

Pearl nodded as she laid down.

Wocky kissed her forehead and said, "I'm worried 'bout ya, gurl... I hope the doc'll make ya bettah..."

"Oh, Wocky", She murmured as she went back to sleep.

He stayed in there with her, watching her.

Plum walked into the room to check on them.

"Oh, son", She said in a worried tone, "She's really starting to worry me..."

"I know, Mom", Wocky said.

"I'm calling the doctor right now and tell him to let us come in early."

She then walked out to call the doctor.

"Wake up, Angelface, we're goin' to the doctor's."

Pearl opened her eyes and said, "_Now_?"

"Yeah... Mom's worried sick 'bout ya an' we're havin' our checkup early."

"I-I... I don't want to go... I-I'm scared..."

"Of what?"

"U-U-U-Umm... N-Needles! Yes, I'm absolutely _terrified _of needles!"

"Oh..."

Plum came back in and said, "The doctor said he'll take us in immediately, so get your clothes on, sweetie, and let's go."

"I'll see ya in the car, awright, gurl?"

"U-Um... Alright..."

**

"She doin' alright?" Winfred asked when he got into the driver's seat of his car.

"I guess she's holdin' up", Wocky answered, "She's a lil' scared... Says she's freaked out ova the needles again..."

"Oh", Plum said, "I hope the doctor finds out what wrong with our little Pearl..."

"Me too, dear."

Soon Pearl arrived in her Kitaki family kimono and climbed into the car with Wocky in the back.

He put his arm around her and said, "Don't worry, gurl, we'll get ya betta soon..."

Pearl just sighed and wrapped her arms around him.

Winfred soon began to drive off to the doctor's office, at the same hospital where Wocky had his surgery all that time ago.

**

About thirty minutes later the family was sitting in the waiting room of the office, waiting for the doctor to call them.

"It's OK, gurl", Wocky said as he had his arm around her still, sensing her nervousness, "The doc ain't gonna hurt ya! He's real cool! The same one that did my operation!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"W-Well, if you put it that way..."

Winfred and Plum looked at them worriedly.

"Honey", Plum said, "I hope she's gonna be OK."

"Me too, dear", Her husband answered, "Ain't never seen her like this before... Let's just hope Frank can tell us what's wrong."

Soon a nurse came in and said, "Pearl?"

_"Oh, no, I'm first!" _Pearl thought.

"Umm, here I am", She said as she got up and went into the back room with her.

The Kitakis all looked at each other in concern and worry.

**

When Pearl finally arrived in the examination room, the nurse said, "So, you're Wocky's new wife?"

"Yes", Pearl said.

"Well, don't worry, we'll take care of you just as well as we take care of him!"

"Thank you..."

The nurse then pulled out a clipboard and a pen.

"So, how are feeling today?" She asked.

"Not like myself at all", Pearl answered, "I've been feeling ill for the past few weeks now..."

"I see... What are your symptoms?"

Pearl hesitated.

"U-Um... I feel fatigued, nauseous, sore... I just feel awful..."

"Hmm... Well, I'll leave this for Dr. Zoobay so he can take a look at it and give his diagnosis", The nurse said as she put the clipboard on the magazine holder on the back of the door.

"The doctor will be in shortly", She said again as she left and shut the door.

"Thank you."

Pearl then just sat there silently, looking at a magazine lying next to her.

After a few minutes she heard Wocky's high-strung voice ring out in the hallway.

"_...Yeah, I've feelin' awright! But I'm real worried 'bout Pearl, though..."_

"_... Don't worry, Wocky, she'll be fine..."_

Pearl smiled at his words.

She then continued to look at the magazine, until a man in a white coat came in.

He was middle aged with brown hair and glasses, and to Pearl she almost looked like Phoenix.

"Hello, dear", He said as he shook her hand, "I'm Frank Zoobay, M.D. I've heard from Wocky's mother that your his new wife?"

"Y-Yes", She answered.

"Well, don't worry! I've been a doctor for many years, I know what I'm doing. If I could save Wocky's heart, then I can definitely help you as well."

"Thank you."

He then picked up the clipboard that the nurse wrote on and looked at it.

"Hmmm... Nausea, soreness, fatigue... I think I know what the problem is, but I need to examine you a bit first..."

He checked her eyes, throat, ears, temperature, and reflexes.

"All the basics seem to be fine", Frank said, "Now let's check your heart and your stomach."

He listened to her heart, and checked it off as fine, but when she pressed her abdomen, she yelped in pain.

"Oh, dear", The doctor said, "You could have a stomach bug, but let's do a few more tests."

He then told her to go to the bathroom and bring him back a urine sample.

When she was done he said, "I'm going to send this off to the lab for testing... I also want to check your blood..."

He then pricked her finger with a small device and got a blood sample in a small container, and sent that to the lab as well.

"Well, so far the only thing I can think of that you may have is a stomach bug. However, these tests may prove otherwise..."

Pearl gulped nervously.

"Don't worry, ma'am, everything will be fine."

Before he walked out, the doctor said, "You can go back to the waiting room now. I'm going to go check on Wocky now..."

"Thank you and have a nice day", Pearl said as she walked out.

**

When Pearl got back to the waiting room, Winfred and Plum had already gone back, so she was there all alone.

She sat there in worry.

"_I'm so scared... I-I... I just don't know what to do..."_

She then put her head in her hands and began to cry silently.

**

About half an hour later Plum and Winfred came back in together, having gone in at the same time.

They saw Pearl crying and looked at her worriedly.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Plum said as she sat down next to her and put her arm around her.

"I'm scared of what the doctor is going to say", She said through her tears.

"I don't think it'll be serious", Winfred said.

"He's right, dear", His wife said to her, "There's nothing to worry about!"

She looked up at her mother-in-law and said, "Thank you... Mother..."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

They then sat there for the next few moments in silence, waiting for Wocky to come out.

"Mom, Pops!" Wocky said when he came back into the room, "I'm back!"

"I can see that", His father chuckled.

"Is the doctor coming out to talk to us?" His mother asked.

"Yeah. He said he's waitin' on our tests to come back."

"Oh."

Pearl looked at him and said, "The doctor said he thought he had a stomach bug, but he didn't know for sure..."

"Is that all? But why have ya had it for so long? I thought a bug only lasted for like a week or somethin'!"

"I-I... I don't know..."

Soon the doctor came back with their test results.

"Come into my office, please", He said as he lead the Kitakis and Pearl to his office.

**

When they got there, Dr. Zoobay sat down at his desk and put on his glasses to look at their medical charts.

"I looked at all of your test results", He said, "And you all appear to be in good health..."

Plum sighed of relief and said, "Thank goodness!"

"... But Pearl..."

Pearl sat there silently, looking down in nervousness.

"What, doc?!" Wocky asked frantically, "Is she awright?!"

The doctor chuckled and said, "Yes, yes, she's fine... But according to these tests and the symptoms she told me she had..."

He then pulled out Pearl's chart and looked at it carefully.

"What, doc?! Spit it out already!"

"Wocky", His father said, "Calm down."

"What is it, Doctor?" His mother asked.

Dr. Zoobay then smiled at Pearl and said, "... Congratulations, ma'am, you're pregnant!"

Wocky and Winfred looked at each other wide eyed and mouths agape as Plum squealed like a child in a candy store.

"_Oh my goodness~_" She shrieked as she hugged Pearl tight, "_Winnie, we're gonna be grandparents~"_

"SAY _WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT_?!" Wocky yelled in shock and disbelief, "A-A-Are ya sure, doc?! I-Is she really...?"

The doctor nodded and said, "Yes, it's true. My word is never wrong."

He then looked at Pearl and said, "Is _this _why ya didn't wanna tell us what was wrong with ya?"

Pearl looked at him and said, "... Yes..."

"Why didn't you tell us, sweetie?" Plum asked.

"Because I was scared", She continued, "I didn't want to tell you because I was scared of what you might think..."

"When did you find out?" Wocky asked.

"A week ago", Pearl answered, "... I noticed that my... _You know_... Was late, so I went out and bought a pregnancy test... And I you could guess... It came up positive."

"How far along do you think she is, Doctor?" Winfred asked, still in shock.

"Well, I'd have to know when the last time she had her period and the last time she had sex was."

Wocky and Pearl both blushed.

"Well, my... _Monthly_... Was around the end of last month..."

"I see..."

"A-And the last time we... Um... _Did it_... Was-"

"It was on our weddin' anniversary!" Wocky interrupted, "Novemba six, baby! Best night I eva had..."

"Wocky!" Pearl said in an embarrassed tone.

"Well", Dr. Zoobay said, "Since today's the twenty seventh, Pearl is about three weeks along."

"Sounds about right", Winfred said.

The doctor then shook Wocky and Pearl's hands and said, "Congratulations again to both of you! I wish you the best on your new found parenthood!"

"T-Thank you", Pearl said nervously.

Wocky said nothing.

Dr. Zoobay then took out a piece of paper and said, "I'm going to refer you to my wife... She's a pediatrician and prenatal specialist, so she'll be able to monitor your baby's health and progress..."

He gave Pearl the referral and said, "... You'll be in good hands with her."

"Thank you, sir", Pearl said.

As the family headed out the doctor said, "Have a nice day... And good luck!"

**

"I don't believe it!" Plum squealed excitedly when they were back in the car, "My little boy is gonna be a father!"

"Y-Yeah", Wocky said, "I-I guess..."

"This has been quite a shock", Winfred said, "I remember when I found out your mother was pregnant with you..."

"You fainted!" His wife said.

"Did not!"

"Oh, you!"

Pearl had been quiet for most of the ride, staring out the window.

Wocky turned to her and said, "I can't believe ya gonna have my kid... I knew this was gonna happen eventually, but... _Daymn._"

She turned to him and said, "It's a little scary... Knowing that you're carrying a baby inside of you..."

He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close and said, "I know, but ya don't gotta worry, 'cause me, Mom an' Pops're gonna be right with ya the whole time..."

"Oh", She said as she kissed him, "Thank you..."

Wocky then patted Pearl's stomach and said, "An' you don't gotta worry eitha, Lil' G."

"_Lil' G_?" His parents laughed

"Yeah! I'm the Big G, so he's gonna be the Lil' G!"

Pearl giggled and said, "You're so silly..."

"Don't you think it's a bit early to say it's a boy, son?" Winfred asked.

"Naw", His son answered, "I can tell jus' by lookin'! This right here's gonna be Kitaki family head numbah six, I know it!"

"If you say so..."

They then sat silent for the rest of the ride.

**

When the family finally arrived home, Wocky and Pearl headed inside the house while Winfred and Plum were close behind.

"You gonna tell Shorty, Nick an' all them 'bout this?" Wocky asked as he opened the door and let her in ahead of him.

"Of course", Pearl answered, "But not right now. Maybe later on..."

"Awright... Ya seem like ya feelin' better since this mornin'."

"I know. I seem to only feel like that when I first wake up..."

"Morning sickness", Plum said as she popped up with her husband in the doorway, "Though when I was pregnant with Wocky, I had it _all day_!"

Winfred shuddered, "I'm so glad it ain't _that _bad with you, Pearl..."

"Me too... "

"But you know what I did to help it?"

"What, Mother?"

"Lemon tea. Trust me, if it could help me, it'll help you too, sweetie."

She then walked into the kitchen to make some.

"I guess I'll call this... _Specialist _now and make an appointment", Winfred said as he walked into his office.

Pearl then sat down on the couch with Wocky, snuggling with each other.

"Wocky?" Pearl asked as she had her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, gurl?" Wocky answered.

"What do you think it will be like... Being... Parents?"

"I dunno... Hard, probly... I get kinda nervous 'round young kids 'cause I'm 'fraid I'd hurt 'em or scare 'em."

"You wouldn't be like that with ours, will you?"

"I-I dunno..."

He then looked at Pearl's stomach and said, "I wonder if Lil' G can hear us..."

"Probably not", She said, "He's still very small, so it'll be a while before he could."

Plum then came back with some tea and said, "Drink this, Pearl. It'll make you feel better."

"Thank you", Pearl responded as she started to sip her cup slowly.

"Pearl", Winfred said as he came back into the room, "Got you an appointment for next Tuesday."

"Alright."

Then they all sat on the couch together, talking about their plans for the newest member of the Kitaki family.

* * *

_**Reviews are nice. Flames are not.**_

_**Awwwww Pearl's gonna be a mommy~ Naturally she's very nervous and scared about it right now.**_

_**LIL' G! :D That was so cute. I always imagined if Wocky ever had a son he'd call him 'Lil' G'.**_

_**And of course Plum is gonna go all out on this one, and poor Winfred XD**_

_**So, for the next chapter, Pearl is gonna invite over Trucy and Nick and tell them the news (Of course they'd be the first people she'd tell... Well, maybe besides Maya.) So stay tuned! 3**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Alright, we just found out that Pearl is three weeks pregnant, and now she's planning on letting Phoenix, Trucy and Maya be the first to know. How will they react? Let's find out.**_

* * *

Later that day, Pearl seemed to be a little bit better, but still felt a bit tired and apprehensive, while Wocky was tittering away about how he was going to teach his 'Lil' G' the ways of 'bein' gangsta'.

"Wocky, how can you teach a baby to be 'gangsta'?" Pearl asked, "I don't think he'd understand..."

"Yeah he would!" Wocky answered, "I think it'll come naturally to 'em, you'll see! He'll pick it up in no time!"

"If you say so..."

They then sat silently for a few minutes, until Plum came in to check on Pearl for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" She asked her, "Do you need anything?"

"No, thank you", Pearl answered, "I'm fine."

"Alright, then."

She then sat down with them and said, "Have you set up your appointment with Mrs. Zoobay yet?"

"Yes... Father did it earlier. Next Tuesday, I believe it was."

"She's so nice", Plum continued, "I met her when Wocky was having his operation... She sat in the waiting room with us and told us: 'If your son ever has a baby, just give me a call'. She said it jokingly at the time, but now..."

She then sighed dreamily.

"Oh, it's so _wonderful _that I'm going to be a grandmother... All day I've been thinking about what that baby is gonna be like!"

"He's gonna be gangsta like me", Wocky said, "Ain't no doubt 'bout that!"

His mother laughed and said, "I don't think we should judge him _this _soon! What if he comes out like Pearl?"

"I dunno", Her son answered, "I guess that'd be cool too..."

He then leaned into Pearl's stomach and said, "Whadda ya think, Lil' G?"

"..."

"He says he ain't sure who he's gonna be like..."

Pearl and Plum looked at each other and giggled.

"How do you know?" Pearl asked.

"I'm his dad", Wocky said, "So I jus' know!"

"I see..."

Plum then turned to Pearl and said, "Have you called your family yet?"

"No", She answered, "I think I will now."

"Who're ya tellin' first?" Wocky asked.

"Mystic Maya", She answered, "Since she's my closest relative., then I'll call Mr. Nick."

"Awirght, go ahead..."

~*~

Meanwhile, in Kurain Village, Maya was with her group of apprentices in the channeling chamber.

"Alright", She said as she corralled them outside, "Time for a break."

As the girls followed her out, she started thinking about her younger cousin.

"_I haven't heard from Pearly in a month", _She thought, _"She's probably forgotten all about poor ol' me now that she's married..."_

As she was heading to Fey Manor, one of the older girls, Takumi, approached her and said, "You've got a phone call! It's from Pearl!"

"Really?!" Maya asked.

"Uh huh!"

She then headed to her chambers to answer her call.

~*~

"Heya, Pearly!" Maya said when she picked up the phone in her room, "How've you been? Haven't heard from you in a while!"

"_Hello, Mystic Maya", _Pearl said on the other line, _"I'm sorry I haven't called you lately... We've been very busy here, so-"_

Maya giggled and said, "It's OK, Pearly! I know you've been preoccupied with _other _things..."

"_Huh?"_

"You know what I'm talking about..."

"_Mystic Maya!" _Pearl said as she was blushing.

"Oh, I'm just playing! So anyway, why'd you call?"

Pearl hesitated.

"Is something wrong? Did something happen? Oh, don't tell me you broke up with Wocky already!"

"_No, no, of course not! I was just calling to tell you something very important..."_

"What, Pearly?"

"_Well... T-Today was my first family checkup with Wocky's family..."_

"And? What did they say? Are you alright?"

"_Y-Yes, I'm fine but..."_

"What?"

_"... The doctor said I was pregnant."_

Maya dropped the phone out of pure shock, her mouth hanging open.

Pearl then heard her scream on the other line.

She then picked up the phone frantically and said, "P-P-Pearly...?! Y-You're... Gonna have a_ baby_?!"

_"Y-Yes..."_

"Oh my_ goooooooosh~ _I don't believe it! You're gonna be a mommy~"

"_... U-Uh huh..."  
_

"And your little Fox King is gonna have a little Fox Cub!"

Pearl giggled and said, _"Little Fox Cub... I like the sound of that! Though Wocky's been calling him 'Lil' G'."_

Maya laughed.

"So, Pearly, how far along are you?"

_"Three weeks."_

"Aww! So he's still a tiny little thing, huh?"

_"Yes."_

"Aww... I bet he's gonna be so cute when he comes out..."

Pearl shuddered when she said that. She completely forgot about having to go through childbirth.

"_I-I think so, too..."_

"You OK, Pearly?"

_"Y-Yes, I'm fine..."  
_

"Are you scared about having to actually _have _the baby?"

"_Of course I am, Mystic Maya! I'm _absolutely_ terrified! What if I can't do it?!"_

"Pearly, women have babies all the time! We're _born _knowing how to do it! And besides, you have a _ton _of support!"

"_You're right, Mystic Maya..."_

"See? You don't have to worry! I'll even come up to the hospital when it happens, I promise!"

_"What about the channeling school students? You can't leave them by themselves!"_

"Don't worry, I'll ask Takumi to take over my duties while I'm with you!"

"_Oh, thank you, Mystic Maya..."_

"Well, I gotta get back to work... I'll talk to you soon, Pearly."

"_Goodbye, Mystic Maya."_

"Goodbye, Pearly."

When she hung up the phone, she excitedly ran out of her room to the courtyard and said, "Takumi, tell everyone to gather in the village square. I have a _very _important announcement to make!"

"Yes, ma'am", Takumi said, "I'll be right on it!"

When she left, she started dancing around happily.

"_Pearly's gonna be a mommy, and I'm gonna get a second cousin~"_

**

A little while later, Maya was in front of everyone in the village square, about to tell everyone the news.

"Everyone", She announced, "I have an announcement to make..."

Everyone chattered excitedly.

"What is it, Mystic Maya?!" Some of the apprentices asked.

"... Pearly just called me, and told me the most _exciting _news ever!"

"What?!"

"... Everyone..."

"..."

"Pearly's gonna have a baby!"

The crowed gasped in shock and disbelief.

"What?!" One of the villagers asked, "Is this true, Mystic Maya?"

"Yep!" Maya answered, "She's already three weeks in!"

"Awwwwwwwww", The little girls said, "Ms. Pearly is gonna be a mommy~"

"And Mr. Walkie Talkie is gonna be a daddy~"

"Awwwwwwwww!!"

"Is it a boy or a girl, Mystic Maya?"

"It's too early to tell right now", Maya answered, "But Pearly assumes it's a boy, since Wocky's calling him 'Lil' G'."

Everyone laughed.

"And I dubbed him little Fox Cub."

"Awwwwwwwwwwww!!"

"I bet he's gonna be cute~"

"And another thing", Maya continued, "When Pearly goes into labor, I'm going to go to the hospital to support her, so Takumi is going to fill in for me."

"When is that gonna be, Mystic Maya?" One of the girls asked again.

She laughed and said, "Oh, it won't be for a while... It takes about eight or nine months for a baby to grow, so..."

"Oooooh", The girls groaned, "I can't wait that long! I wanna see 'little Fox Cub' now!"

"Don't worry", Maya said, "Before you know it, he'll be here!"

"Hooray for Ms. Pearly and Mr. Walkie Talkie!"

Soon everyone cheered, celebrating the happy news.

~*~

"How'd she take it?" Wocky asked.

"She was so happy!" Pearl answered, "And she gave 'Lil' G' a new nickname... 'Little Fox Cub'."

"Aww", Plum said, "How cute! It's very fitting!"

"Yeah, I guess", Her son said, "But he's still Lil' G in my eyes."

Pearl giggled.

"Well", She continued, "Time to call Mr. Nick..."

~*~

At the Wright Anything Agency, Phoenix and Trucy had Apollo over for lunch, talking about a case that he was working on.

"That guy was completely lying!" Apollo said angrily, "I know for a fact he did it!"

"Now, Apollo", Phoenix said, "Don't jump to conclusion just-"

Suddenly the phone rang.

"I'll get it, Daddy!" Trucy said as she got up and answered the phone, putting it on speaker phone.

"Hello?" She said.

"_Hello, Trucy", _Pearl said, _"Is Mr. Nick there?"_

"Yeah, he's here helping Polly with some casework. I'm on speaker phone so they can hear you."

"_Hello, Mr. Nick, Mr. Polly..."_

Phoenix and Apollo greeted her back.

"What's up, Pearls?" Phoenix asked.

"_U-Umm... Well..."_

"What is it, Pearl? Did something happen?" Trucy asked.

"_... Y-You see... I had my first checkup with Wocky's family this morning..."  
_

"Oh, no! Are you sick?"

"_N-No... T-They did tests on us, and they said we were all fine... B-But..."_

"What, Pearls?" Phoenix asked concernedly.

"_... The doctor... H-He said..."_

"What?"

"What did he say, Pearl?"

"_... He said... He said I was pregnant."  
_

Everyone in the room went wide eyed and their jaws dropped.

"W-W-What did you say, Pearls?" Phoenix asked, thinking he misheard her.

"_I'm pregnant, Mr. Nick..."_

Trucy started shrieking and screaming excitedly, hugging Apollo and Phoenix at the same time.

"Oh my god, Pearl!! Are you _serious_?!"

"_Yes, very serious. I have the morning sickness, fatigue and overall ill symptoms to prove it."_

"Eeeeeeeeeeee~ Oh, Daddy, Polly, did you hear _that_?! I'm gonna be an auntie, Polly, you're gonna be an uncle, and so are you, Daddy!"

"H-How far along are you?" Apollo asked.

"_According to the doctor, about three weeks."_

"Have you made an appointment with an obstetrician yet?" Phoenix asked.

"_A what?"_

"That's a 'baby doctor'."

"_Oh! Yes, I have. I'm going next week."_

Apollo then asked another question, "How's Wocky taking all this? I bet he's a wreck..."

"_Actually, no! He's been so excited about this all day! He's already calling the baby 'Lil G'!"_

Trucy giggled as Phoenix and Apollo went blank faced as sweat dropped from their faces.

"That's so cute!" She said, "I can't wait to see Lil' G! I bet he's gonna be soooo cuuuuuute~"

"_Mystic Maya called him 'little Fox Cub'."_

"Awwww!! I guess that makes sense, considering Little Plum told me once that the fox is their family crest."

Apollo shuddered, remembering being smothered by Wocky's relatives at their wedding last year.

"So you already told Maya?" Phoenix asked.

_"Uh huh"_, Pearl answered, _"She says she's going to be at the hospital during the birth."_

"Well, so are we, Pearls."

He then turned to Trucy and Apollo.

"Yep! I'll be there!" Trucy said happily, "Won't you, Polly?"

"I... I'll think about it", He said, "I'd have to look through my-"

"Forget the schedule, Polly! Whenever the due date is, you _better _cancel _everything _on that day to support her!"

"But we don't know _what _the due date is yet!"

"Well, we'll find out next week when she goes to the baby doctor!"

"Alright, alright, Trucy, I'll cancel all my plans on Pearl's due date."

She then hugged her half brother and said, "Oh, Polly, you're the best little big brother ever!"

Apollo groaned.

"_Well, I have to go now... Going to go rest for a while."  
_

"Alright, Pearls", Phoenix said, "Take care now."

_"Goodbye, Mr. Nick."_

When she hung up, Phoenix turned to Trucy and Apollo and said, "... _Pearls_? A _mother_?"

"It was going to happen eventually, Daddy!" Trucy said.

Apollo started getting an image of a 'gangsta baby' wearing oversized sunglasses, a cap, and bling.

"_Oh, god", _He thought, _"I hope he won't be as... 'Mischievous' as his father..."_

"What do you think the baby will be like?" Trucy asked.

"I don't know", Phoenix said, "But I hope he won't have the same behavior issues Wocky used to have."

"Tell me about it", Apollo said, "It was hard enough to defend _him, _and I hope to the high heavens above I won't have to defend his son..."

"I don't think that'll happen", Trucy said, "As long as Pearl's the mommy, she'll set him straight!"

"Didn't think about that..."

Apollo imagined another baby with a much gentler look, having Pearl's face and smiling.

"_I hope the Fey genes are stronger than the Kitaki genes", _He thought.

Phoenix then said, "Alright, let's get back to work, Apollo."

Then they continued to talk about his case.

~*~

"Mr. Nick, Trucy, and Mr. Polly give their congratulations", Pearl said.

"That's wonderful", Plum said, "Are they going to go to the hospital with us when you go into labor?"

"Yes, and Mystic Maya said she'd be there too."

Wocky then put his arms around her and said, "I hope this goes well, gurl... I don't want nothin' bad happenin' to ya or Lil' G."

He then patted her stomach and said, "Ain't that right, Lil' G?"

"..."

"He says 'Don't worry, Mamma, I'm awright!'"

Pearl giggled and said, "You're getting attached to him already, aren't you?"

"Yeah!" Wocky answered, "Gotta start early, so when he comes out he'll be used to me."

"Aww..."

"Looks like you're gonna be a good father, sweetie", Plum said.

Pearl then stood up and said, "I'm going to take a nap for a while. I'm very tired."

"Go on ahead, gurl", Wocky said as she left the room.

**

When Pearl got to her room, she climbed into bed and went under the covers.

"_This has been quite a day... Finding out that I'm going to give birth to the future sixth head of the Kitaki family..."_

She then started to close her eyes.

_"... It's really taking a toll on me... But in nine months, our little Fox Cub will be right here in my arms with me..."_

She then fell asleep.

**

A few minutes later, Wocky came into their bedroom to check on Pearl.

He walked up to the bed and laid on his side, putting his arms around her sleeping form.

"_I can't believe Pearl's gonna have my kid... It's gonna be real hard to cope with her 'mornin' sickness' an' all that, but I gotta be here for her... An' Lil' G too..."_

He then kissed her forehead.

"_Gurl... I promise I'll be a good dad for this kid..."_

Wocky continued to lie there, his arms protectively around his wife and unborn child.

* * *

_**Reviews are nice. Flames are not.**_

_**Oh, boy, everybody's excited about the baby now 8D **_

_**And it's so cute how Wocky's already trying to bond with him 3**_

_**Stay tuned for the next chapter!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Everybody is really excited about this new baby, but now Wocky's relatives are gonna find out about it now. Let's see what happens...**_

* * *

A few hours later, Plum and Winfred went into Wocky and Pearl's room to check on Pearl.

They saw that Pearl was still asleep, with Wocky still with his arm around her, also sleeping.

"Aww", Plum said as she put her head on her husband's shoulder, "Would you look at _that_?"

She then kissed him on the cheek and said, "Wocky's turning out to be just like you..."

"I always thought he was like you", Winfred said, "What with the hot temper an-"

"I do _not_!" His wife responded, "Maybe when I was his age, but certainly not _now_!"

"You have your moments, dear..."

They then turned back to their son and daughter-in-law and walked inside the room.

"Pearl?" Plum asked softly, "Are you feeling alright?"

Pearl opened her eyes and looked up at her, yawned and said, "... Yes, I'm fine..."

She then sat up, Wocky's arm falling limply off of her and yawned.

"That nap really did the trick", She said, "I feel much better now."

"That's good", Winfred said, "'Cause we're about to call the family and tell them about..."

He then snickered and said, "'Lil' G'."

Wocky then opened his own eyes and said groggily, "Quit makin' fun o' my son..."

He then sat up to stretch and yawn.

"Were you dreaming, sweetie?" His mother asked, "You said, 'Quit making fun of my son'."

Wocky blushed and said, "Y-Yeah, kinda... I was dreamin' 'bout Lil' G gettin' picked on by the Rivales..."

"Is that so?" His father asked.

"Yeah! But y'all woke me up before I could beat the shit outta 'em."

"I never expected you to have fatherly instincts, son..."

"Well, of course he does!" Plum added, "He inherited that from you!"

"I suppose... And he also inherited your looks and your fiery attitude."

Pearl giggled and said, "I can see the resemblance!"

Wocky and Plum then both smiled, looking exactly the same.

"You should've seen me when I was younger", Her mother-in-law said, "The resemblance is even more uncanny!"

Everyone then laughed.

"Well", Winfred said, "Why don't we call up the folks now and tell 'em the news..."

"Oh, even better! Let's invite them over for dinner!"

Pearl's stomach growled.

"That sounds good right now... Can we have soba noodles? I've been having a weird craving for soba noodles for a while now..."

"Uh oh", Winfred chuckled, "Food cravings kickin' in..."

"Don't worry about that, dear! I'll take care of all that!"

She then went to the kitchen to get started on her 'extravagant' family dinner.

"Come on, son", Winfred said again as he lead Wocky and Pearl out of the room, "Let's call the folks over for dinner.

**

It was dinnertime now, and Plum pretty much demanded her husband to invite the entire family over, while she was cooking like a fiend.

"What's the deal, man?" Wocky's cousin Vinny asked, "We havin'_ another _family reunion?"

"Blame Mom", Wocky said, "It was her idea."

"But is nice to see everyone again", Aunt Catarina said, "Right, Giuseppe?"

Wocky's uncle looked at his wife and said, "Yeah, it is."

"What's the occasion, Uncle Big Wins?" Their oldest son Philippe asked, "I know we ain't here for no reason!"

"You'll see", Winfred answered.

Plum soon came back with bowls of soba noodles and gave each person one.

She then sat down and everybody started eating.

"Soba noodles?" Philippe's younger brother Franco asked, "Why're we having soba noodles?"

"Pearl wanted 'em", Wocky said, "So jus' shaddap an' eat 'em!"

"Ffffft!"

Everyone sat silent for the next few minutes, until Winfred said, "Listen up, everyone... The reason we asked all of you to come here today is because we have something very important to tell you..."

He then looked at Wocky and Pearl and said, "Go on, son... Tell 'em..."

"Tell us what?" Everyone asked.

"Well... Uh..."

"What?"

"Um... I... We... Uh..."

"C'mon, man, spit it out!"

"Pearl's havin' my kid, awright?!"

Everyone in the room fell silent, looking at him in shock.

"_Da Hell_?!" Vinny asked, "Did I hear what I think I just heard?!"

"Ya pullin' our legs, man!"

"No way!"

"Ya _lyin'_!"

"It's true", Plum said, "We're going to have a new member of the family!"

"Congratulations", Vitala said, "I remember when I had Donnie here... That was quite an experience."

Eight year old Donnie then looked at Pearl's belly and said, "I don't see no baby! I thought girls had big bellies when they were havin' a baby!"

"They do", Pearl said, "But right now, he's still very small, so it'll be a while before I have a... 'Big belly'..."

"How far along are you?" Catarina asked.

"Three weeks."

"Not very far yet, but trust me, it'll go by fast. Trust me, I've been through it twice."

"Once you get past all the negative quirks", Vitalia said, "It's not that bad, really... Childbirth is a little scary, though..."

Pearl gulped, remembering her biggest fear of this whole experience.

"You don't have to worry about the pain, they'll give you something for it if you ask."

"Thank goodness... But will it hurt the baby?"

"Oh no, it's safe."

"I don't believe this", Vinny said, "_You, _a _dad_?!"

"Yeah", Wocky answered.

"This is crazy, man..."

"I can't see you with a kid", Tony said, "It's just too weird!"

"I know, but it was gonna happen eventually, ya know? Pearl probly woulda wanted kids anyway, so..."

"Has she been doin' all that weird stuff pregnant chicks do?"

"Yeah... She's been sick in the mornin', tired, scared... She's been eatin' a lot more than she normally does, too..."

"Aw, man, that must suck for you..."

"It ain't that bad... Mom's been helpin' 'er out with all that stuff..."

"Whadda ya think the kid is?"

"A boy!"

"Are ya sure?"

Wocky then leaned into Pearl's belly.

"Are ya a boy, Lil' G?"

"..."

"He says, 'Uh huh.'"

"How do ya know what he's sayin'?"

"Instinct, I guess... I can jus' hear his voice..."

"What's it sound like?"

"It sounds like mine, duh. He _is _my son, y'know..."

"Whateva ya say..."

The women giggled at Wocky's new found fatherly instinct.

"Ever since we found out the pregnancy today", Plum said, "He's been going on and on about that 'Lil' G'! It's so cute!"

"Are you sure it's a boy, though?" Vitalia asked.

"I don't know", Pearl answered, "But Wocky's so convinced it's a boy, I'll just stick by that for now."

"How does he know?"

"He says the baby talks to him from within me, like you just saw... He can hear his voice, he says."

"Awww", The women said.

"Cute", Vitalia laughed, "But a little strange at the same time..."

"I don't think it is", Pearl said, "It's his way of bonding with the baby..."

"I heard that babies really _can _hear things outside the womb."

"Really?"

"Uh huh! When I was pregnant with Donnie I put headphones over my belly and let him listen to music..."

"Don't tell Wocky that", Pearl giggled, "He'll want to play his hip hop music for him..."

The women laughed again.

"Well", Giuseppe said, "This is quite some news... Haven't seen a new baby in the family since eight years ago when Donnie was born..."

"I know", Plum said, "It's absolutely _miraculous _that this one is going to be my grandson!"

"Yeah", Vinny said, "And what a tree that little fruit is comin' from!"

"Hey!" Wocky yelled.

**

"Well", Giuseppe said about an hour later, when everyone was leaving, "Thanks for the dinner, Plum."

"No problem, dear", Plum said, "I'll see you later."

"And congratulations, son", He said to Wocky, "You better be good to that kid, you hear? I don't want to hear from your folks that you're teachin' 'em bad stuff!"

"Goodbye, sweetie", Catarina said, "Let us know when the baby shower is, alright?"

"We will", Pearl said.

Then their aunt and uncle walked out the door.

"Uncle 'Seppe..."

"Don't worry", Pearl said, "I think you'll be a good father."

Wocky blushed and said, "Really? Ya think so?"

"Uh huh... Even Lil' G thinks so!"

"You can hear 'em too?"

"Uh huh! He says he likes hearing your voice."

"That's so sweet", Plum said.

"Did Wocky 'talk' to you when he was still inside of you?" Pearl asked.

"Oh, yes", She said, "But he didn't really say anything... He moved around quite a bit in there, kicking me almost all the time..."

"Does it hurt?"

"No, but it's feels rather odd..."

"When did this start to happen?"

"Around the fourth or fifth month, I think, so 'Lil' G' won't be moving much for quite a while."

"Oh."

As everyone walked back to the living room, Wocky sat down and went to call all his friends about 'Lil G'.

~*~

Dino was in his house, helping his girlfriend Natsumi make their supper in the kitchen.

She tried to reach the cabinet, but since everything in the house was custom made for his large height, she couldn't get it.

"I'll get it, Nat", He said as he picked up the salt and gave it to her.

"... Thank you", She said.

Suddenly the phone rang as Dino went to answer it, leaving Natsumi to her cooking.

"Yo."

"_Hey, man..."_

"Wocky, whadda ya doin'?! Me an' my gurl are 'bout to-"

"_Shaddap an' listen, awright?! I gotta tell ya somethin' real important!"  
_

"What could be so important that ya halfta call me when I'm cookin'?"

Wocky laughed in the phone and said, _"You, cookin'? I bet yer gurl's doin' all the work!"_

"Naw! I'm jus' helpin' 'er is all!"

Wocky groaned and said, _"Can I jus' tell ya what I was gonna tell ya?"_

"Aiite, aiite... What's going on ova there? Lil' Pearly givin' ya a hard time o' somethin'?"

"_Naw! I was jus' gonna say that..."_

Natsumi continued to stir the pot of boiling rice, until she heard Dino shout loudly, making her yelp and jump.

"DA _HELL_?! YA SHITTIN' ME?! WHA-"

Natsumi ran into the room and asked, "What's wrong?"

He didn't hear her as he continued to stutter.

"_I'm dead serious, man! The doctor said so!"_

"... This is crazy! You, with a-"

"_Would ya jus' calm down, ya big idiot?!"_

"Dean, what happened?" Natsumi asked again.

Dino turned to her and said, "Pearl's havin' Wocky's kid!"

She put her hand over her mouth and gasped, "Oh, my... Really?"

"Sounds like it to me!"

She then took the phone and said, "Congratulations to both of you...!"

"_Umm... Thanks...?"_

"How close is she to delivering?"

_"The doc said she's only three weeks in, so..."_

"Oh, so it just happened, then?"

_"I guess..."_

"Can I talk to Pearl?"

"_Yeah, yeah, hang on..."_

There was a brief pause, until Pearl came on the line.

"_Hello, Natsumi"_, She said.

"How are you feeling? I hear pregnancy can be quite uncomfortable."

"_It is, Natsumi... It's making me feel awful..."  
_

"Oh, well, it won't last forever, you know... And look at what you'll get in the end..."

"AAAAGH! THE RICE'S BURNT!"

"Oh, no, Dean's burnt the rice again... I have to go...!"

~*~

"She hung up", Pearl said.

"Guess Dino screwed up his cookin' again..."

"Anyway... Is there anyone else we need to tell?"

"Al and Rick, but I'll tell 'em tomorrah, or Dino might jus' tell 'em himself."

"Oh..."

She then tried to think of more people, until a brick hit her.

"What's the matta, babe?"

"... Mother..."

Wocky started to get apprehensive.

"N-N-Naw, don't tell yer mom! She almost tore my head off the last time we met her!"

"I have to, Wocky... This is her grandchild, and she has to know..."

"W-We ain't going back up to the clink, are we?"

"No, no, I'm going to send her a letter..."

"Oh, thank gawd...!"

She then walked off to their room to begin writing the letter to her mother.

**

At bedtime, Wocky and Pearl were lying in their bed.

He was looking at her in concern while she had a look of worry on her face.

"What's the matta, gurl?" Wocky asked softly as he put his arm around Pearl.

She didn't answer.

"C'mon, baby, tell me what's wrong..."

After a few moments of silence, she broke down into tears, holding him tight.

"Wocky, I'm scared! What if something goes wrong?! I... I can't do this!"

"Yes, you can", He said as he put his arms around her as she was crying in his shoulder, "It's gonna be awright, gurl... This is our son we're talkin' 'bout... "

"I-I know, but... I'm afraid..."

"Ya don't gotta be 'fraid... Yer lil' Fox King's gonna be right here with ya foreva an' eva, y'know?"

She then looked up at him and smiled as he wiped her face with their blanket.

"Oh, Wocky..."

They then began to fall asleep, facing each other as they did so.

Wocky kissed Pearl on the forehead and said, "G'night, Honeycakes... An' don't worry 'bout Lil' G, awright?"

"Alright", Pearl said as she began to fall asleep, "Goodnight..."

They were soon fast asleep, dreaming of their 'Little Fox Cub'.

* * *

_**Reviews are nice. Flames are not.**_

_**Wow, I'm getting through this story fast, huh? Well I kinda have to since I'm going back to college on Monday and I won't have as much time to work on this :(**_

_**So next chapter, we're going to start with a few days later, when Morgan gets her letter from Pearl, and there might be some familiar faces popping up ;) Stay tuned!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Okie dokie, compadres, this chapter's gonna start out a little different. I'm gonna start at the city prison when Morgan's gonna get her letter from Pearl. Oh, what insanity will happen here? Let's find out...**_

* * *

A week later, at the city prison, Pearl's mother Morgan Fey was in her quarters, sitting alone.

"_I can't believe my daughter married that... That hooligan!" _She thought as she looked at the letter Pearl sent her a year ago about her and Wocky's wedding, _"I thought she would marry a nice, charming, handsome young man, like the Prince Charmings she used to talk about in those fairy tales of hers..."_

"_... But no! She goes off and marries the Big Bad Wolf... Or, in this case, the Big Bad Fox."_

She then got up as a guard said, "Umm... Ms. Fey? It's time for breakfast."

She looked at him and saw that he was about in his mid thirties with spiky blonde hair and a goatee.

"Never seen _you_ before", She said to him blankly, "Are you new?"

She then read his name tag: "Larry Butz?"

He scratched the back of his neck and said, "Uh, no... I've been here for like a few weeks now..."

"I see..."

He then led her out of her cell and to the prison cafeteria.

**

When they finally got there, he let her go and said, "Gotta go... The warden wants me to go to the mail room..."

Morgan just ignored him and walked off.

As Larry began to head to the mail room, he started thinking about his new 'girlfriend' that he met here.

"_Oh, Alita", _He thought, _"So classy! So smooth! So bold...!"_

Of course, he had no idea about her past with Wocky.

He then reached the room and noticed the door was cracked open.

Larry opened it more and saw Alita standing in there, digging through the mailboxes.

"Alita!" He said happily as he went up to her, "My lo-"

She put her hand over his mouth and said, "Shut up, you loudmouth! I don't want anyone knowing I'm here!"

"What're you doing, my Butter Biscuit?"

Alita rolled her eyes at these ridiculous nicknames he was giving her.

"_He's almost as bad as that little brat!" _She thought as she said, "I'm trying to see if there's any money in these envelopes! Some people send the inmates money, so-"

She then came across a letter with the Kitaki's seal on it.

"_What the-?"_

"What's wrong, Sugar-"

"Would you be quiet, Larry?!"

She then read the envelopes front aloud: "To Morgan Fey... From... Pearl Fey_-Kitaki_?!"

Larry then took the letter from her and said, "Hey, that's that lady I had to escort earlier!"

"_Oh, that poor, stupid girl..."_

Alita took the letter back from Larry and carefully opened it.

"Alita, don't do that! I'll get in trouble!"

"_Like I care..."_

"Oh, don't worry, honey, I'll just tape it back together! It'll be like it was _never _opened!"

She then took the letter out of the envelope and read it aloud:

_Dear Mother,_

_How have you been? I've been doing fine. I'm glad that you finally accepted that I love Wocky, and that I wanted to thank you for the card that you sent us._

Alita wanted to gag when she read that.

_Anyway, I just wanted to say that I have some very important news to tell you._

"Oh, I wonder what that could be?"

_This may be a bit of a shock to you, but... Today, I went to have my first family checkup with the Kitakis. Don't worry, everything came back fine, but... The doctor had told me that I was three weeks pregnant._

Alita starting laughing hysterically, almost choking on spit.

"What's so funny?" Larry asked.

"Oh, my god", She said through her laughter, "That poor, sad little girl!"

"What?"

"That little punk got her _pregnant_?!" She said to herself, still laughing.

"Who? What??"

Alita tried to regain her composure and said, "It's a long, sad story, honey. You wouldn't understand..."

"_Wonderful! Just wonderful! Now there'll be _more_ little brats mucking up this planet!"_

She then continued to read the letter.

_I hope you'll accept this baby as your grandchild, Mother. I would be very grateful if you did so. Well, that's all I wanted to say for now, Mother. Take care and I hope to hear from you soon._

_  
Sincerely,_

_Pearl Fey-Kitaki_

When she was done, Alita stuffed the letter back into the envelope and took a roll of tape from the table near by and sealed it back up.

"Garbage", She said as she gave the letter back to him, "Pure garbage!"

Larry suddenly remembered who Pearl was, and thought of his old friend Phoenix.

"Hey", He said, "I used to know that Pearl girl! She was really little back then, though... She used to hang around one of my pals, Nick."

She didn't listen to him as she walked out of the room, still laughing to herself.

Larry then put the letter in his pocket and said, "Maybe I'll give this to that Morgan lady... Since it _is _for her and all..."

He then proceeded to organize the mail.

**

A little while later, Morgan was back in her cell, sitting silently again.

Soon Larry came in again with the letter from Pearl.

"I have a letter for you, ma'am", He said.

She took it from him and opened it, not noticing that Alita had opened it.

"Thank you", She said.

He then walked out.

Morgan proceeded to open up the letter and began to read it.

_Dear Mother,_

_How have you been? I've been doing fine. I'm glad that you finally accepted that I love Wocky, and that I wanted to thank you for the card that you sent us. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I have some very important news to tell you._

"Hm?"

_This may be a bit of a shock to you, but... Today, I went to have my first family checkup with the Kitakis. Don't worry, everything came back fine, but... The doctor had told me that I was three weeks pregnant._

Morgan dropped the letter and her eyes went wide.

"_O-Oh no... Oh no... My daughter... Pregnant with the child of a... A gangster?!"_

She then picked it up and finished reading it.

_I hope you'll accept this baby as your grandchild, Mother. I would be very grateful if you did so. Well, that's all I wanted to say for now, Mother. Take care and I hope to hear from you soon._

_  
Sincerely,_

_Pearl Fey-Kitaki_

Morgan threw the letter on the floor and put her head in her hands.

~*~

Back at the Kitaki's mansion, Wocky was getting ready to take Pearl to her first visit to the 'baby doctor'.

"Did you write everything down for Mrs. Zoobay, sweetie?" Plum asked as she and her husband, "She's going to ask you quite a bit of questions."

"Yes, Mother", Pearl answered.

"And _you_ better behave, Wocky! I don't want you cracking jokes, this is serious!"

"Mom, do ya really think I'll do that?"

Plum sighed.

"Just listen to your mother, son", Winfred said, "Now get on or you'll be late."

"Awright, awright", His son said as he took Pearl's hand, "C'mon, let's go, babe..."

They then headed to his car, got in and they drove off to the doctor's office.

**

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in the waiting room of Mrs. Zoobay's office.

"What is she going to do, Wocky?" Pearl asked.

"I thought Mom already told ya all this", Wocky answered, "She's jus' gonna look at ya and ask ya questions."

"Oh."

Pearl wasn't sure what this doctor was going to do. She thought it would be like the visit with Dr. Zoobay, but she wasn't sure.

Soon the doctor came out. She was also middle aged with her black hair in a bun, also wearing a white coat like her husband.

"You're next, sweetie", She said to Pearl, "Come on back~"

They then both walked back into the examination room.

**

This room was much different from the one she went to at Dr. Zoobay's. There was a strange machine nearby that looked like a TV projector of some sort, and other sorts of equipment.

Mrs. Zoobay then sat Pearl down on the examination chair as Wocky sat in a chair next to her.

She then extended her hand and shook Pearls.

"Hello, dear", She said, "I'm Nina Zoobay. My husband said you were coming to see me."

She then looked at Wocky and said, "And look at _you_! You've really grown since I last saw you!"

Wocky scratched the back of his neck and said, "Y-Yeah, I guess..."

She then took out a clipboard and said, "Well, according to my husband, he said that he did a pregnancy test on you at his office and it came up positive..."

"Yes, that's right", Pearl said, "Do you need to do the test again?"

"Oh, no, he already gave me the lab papers for it. I'm just going to ask you some questions and examine you."

"Oh."

Mrs. Zoobay then took out a pen from her pocket and said, "So, you've been pregnant for four weeks now, correct?"

"Yes."

She wrote it down.

"My husband said that your last period was around October. Do you have the exact day?"

"The twenty fourth."

"OK... And he also said the date of conception was November sixth, correct?"

"Yes."

"Alright... So according to these dates, your due date should be about... July thirty first of next year."

"Wow", Wocky said, "That's gonna be two months afta the second anniversary of when we first met!"

"Aww", The doctor said, "Well this will be quite a gift, huh?"

"I'll say", Pearl said.

She then continued to write things down.

"Alright", She continued, "Do you have any family history of any diseases or disorders that you know of?"

"No."

"Allergies?"

"No."

"Is this your first pregnancy?"

"Yes."

"Well, you're in good hands, sweetie."

"Thank you."

**

About fifteen minutes later, after asking Wocky and Pearl a whole slew of questions, she began to examine Pearl.

She checked her heart, blood pressure, breathing, arms, legs, and everywhere else in between.

"Everything's all good", Mrs. Zoobay said as she wrote everything down, "You're very healthy!"

"What about the baby?" Pearl asked.

"Hmm", The doctor said, "It's a bit too early to do an ultrasound... Let's wait until our next visit."

"Alright."

The doctor then looked at her and said, "Do you have any questions or concerns, sweetie?"

"No, ma'am."

As Wocky and Pearl got up, the doctor shook both of their hands and said, "Well, thank you for your time, and congratulations on your little one."

"Thank you."

As they walked out, Mrs. Zoobay said, "I'll put your next appointment down for January fourth. Is that alright?"

"Yes, that's fine."

Soon the couple had left the room.

**

When they got home, Plum rushed over to them and said, "How did it go? Is everything alright?"

"Yes", Pearl said, "The doctor said I was very healthy."

"Oh, good! So, when's the due date?"

"July thirty first."

"Ooh! So that means he'll be a Leo! **Generous and warmhearted! Creative and enthusiastic! Broad-minded and expansive! Faithful and loving!"**

**"Aww, man", Wocky whined, "Not this zodiac crap again..."  
**

**"Those sound like some good qualities to me", Pearl said, "What do you think, Wocky?"  
**

**"Yeah, yeah", Wocky said, "Sounds pretty cool to me."**

**"Well", Plum continued, "Why don't we have lunch then? I'll make you some cinnamon tea, sweetie, if that's alright."**

"Yes, thank you", Pearl said.

**They then headed to the kitchen to have lunch.**

* * *

**__****Reviews are nice. Flames are not.**

**__****Haha I couldn't resist putting Larry/Alita into this one XD**

**__****And Morgan still apparently doesn't like Wocky, but she's seemed to accept it.**

**__****Her reaction to the baby was a lot calmer than I thought XD**

**__****And July 31 is the due date yay! :3**

**__****Oh yeah and at the end of every chapter from now on I'll put how far along Pearl is, OK?**

**__****Weeks along- 4 **

**__****Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Sorry the last chapter was so short guys. I kind of had a writer's block again and I had a hard time writing it somewhat. I promise this chapter will be better. Now onto the chapter!**_

* * *

"So the due date's the last day of July?" Winfred asked at the table during lunch.

"Yes", Pearl said as she heartily ate her soba noodles.

"Damn, gurl", Wocky said as he looked at her in amazement while she was eating, "I neva seen you eat like that before! You must be real hungry!"

"It's the pregancy cravings, dear", Plum said, "She's gotta have all the food she can get for that baby!"

"Oh... I guess that 'splains a lot..."

"You know", Plum continued, "The due date is just an estimate of when the baby will be born, you know... I remember when they said your due date was April seventh, but you ended up being two weeks early!"

"We figured you couldn't wait to get out of there", Winfred said with a chuckle, "You were comin' so fast we thought the doctor wasn't gonna get here in time!"

"You didn't have him at the hospital?" Pearl asked, "Well, I wasn't born at a hospital either, so..."

"No", Her mother-in-law said, "Winnie insisted on doing home birth, since he said everyone in his family did so..."

"And remember the circumstances back then, dear", He said.

"I know, I know!"

They then sat silent for a moment, until Pearl asked, "Did the doctor get there in time?"

"Well", Winfred answered, "Let's just say things were a little... Hectic..."

~*~

_March 24, 2007. 9:55 PM. Kitaki Mansion- Foyer._

The mansion was in an absolute uproar as thirty seven year old Winfred was waiting for the doctor to arrive as twenty three year old Plum was in labor with their baby.

"Jus' calm down, Boss", One of his goons said for the millonth time.

"Would ya jus' shaddap, Paco?! I'm freakin' out ova here!"

"I know, Boss, but-"

"WINFRED!" They heard Plum yell through her pain, "GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW OR I'LL-"

"I'm comin', Lil' Plum!" He said as he went into their bedroom as his goons followed.

When they got in there, they saw her sitting in the 'childbirth' position, wearing her nighttime clothes still.

"WHERE'S THAT DAMN DOCTOR?!" She yelled at them.

"He's comin', sweetie, jus' hang on-"

"I CAN'T HANG ON!"

She then screamed in pain again.

"Deano, go look an' see if he's out yet!" Winfred said to his youngest brother.

"Naw, man, _you_ do it, it's _your_ son!"

"Well it's _your _nephew!"

"Why doncha _both_ jus' shaddap!?" The middle brother Giuseppe said, "_I'll _look then!"

He then went to the end of the bed to see between Plum's legs.

"Holy shit!" He said, "His head's already comin' out!"

"Dammit, that doctor betta hurry up!" Winfred said in a panic, "A-Alright, what did he say to do, Paco?!"

"Uh-"

Plum screamed off the top of her lungs as the baby finally came out, wailing _very _loudly.

Giuseppe caught him and said, "Woah, look Big Wins, come look at 'em!"

As Winfred went to see his new son, the doctor finally showed up.

He saw the baby's uncle holding him and said, "Oh, dear, he's out already?!"

He then took out some medical scissors and asked Winfred, "Would you like to cut the chord, Mr. Kitaki?"

He then handed them off to him and he cut it, then the doctor proceeded to clean the baby up and take his vitals.

After he was done, he wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed him to Plum saying, "Congradulations, Mrs. Yamaguchi-Kitaki, you have a healthy-"

The baby continued to cry loudly.

"-And very loud baby boy."

Plum looked at him with her eyes glittering.

"Oh, Winnie, look at him..."

Winfred went back to his wife and sat on the bed next to her to see their new son.

He had a triangular shaped, flat face just like his mother, and had his father's tan skin, but not quite as tan, since he was just born and all.

He had finally stopped crying as he looked up at his parents with his narrow little eyes.

"What a cute lil' fella", Giuseppe said as he looked at his nephew, "Looks jus' like ya, Lil' Plum."

She smiled at him and said, "Oh, my, he does!"

She then stroked his downy brown hair and said, "He even already has hair... Oh, you are the _cutest _thing~"

The baby smiled at her and murmured a little.

"Awww, are you trying to talk to me, sweetie~"

She then turned to her husband and said, "Isn't he _so _cute, Winnie~"

"Y-Yeah", He said nervously, "Real cute..."

She then noticed the baby had two marks on each side of his cheeks.

"Hm? What is this?" She asked, "Doctor?"

"Yes?" The doctor said as he went up to her.

"The baby has these lines on his cheeks-"

"Aw, don't worry 'bout that", Deano said as he showed him the same marks on his cheeks, "It's the Kitaki family birthmark! Right, Big Wins?"

"Yeah", His brother answered.

The baby then started to whimper.

"Aww, what's the matter?" Plum said as she started to rock him.

A few moments later, she started to see him close his eyes.

"Oh, look, he just wanted me to cuddle him~ What a sweetie~"

Winfred looked at them and thought, _"I don't beleive it... That lil' baby is my son, an' not only that, he's gonna be Kitaki head number five one day..."_

He then nudged his wife and said, "Uh, Lil' Plum?"

"Yes, Winnie?"

"C-Can I hold 'em?"

"Oh, sure, just be careful..."

He took the sleeping baby from her arms and put him into his own.

"... H-Hey, lil' guy", He said to him nervously, "I'm yer dad, see, so-"

The little boy opened his eyes and looked straight into Winfred's curiously.

He chuckled and said, "Why're ya lookin' at me like that? Do I got somethin' on my face?"

The baby then reached out his hands and put them on his father's face.

"Awwww", Plum said, "He likes you already~"

Winfred looked at his son and smiled.

"What're ya gonna call 'em?" Deano asked.

"I dunno", His older brother answered, "Winfred Jr.? Winfred II?"

"No way", Plum said, "That'll get much too confusing."

They then thought for a moment, until the baby started making a strange cooing noise.

"... Wok..."

"Hm? Why's he makin' that noise?"

"Sounded like he said 'wok'... Like that thing Lil' Plum cooks with."

Plum looked at her infant son and said, "Hmm... I think I'll call you Wocky."

The guys in the room looked at each other.

"'Wocky'? What kinda name is that?" Winfred asked.

"I think it's fitting", His wife answered, "Don't you agree little Wocky?"

The newly named Wocky continued to coo as his mother took him back from Winfred.

And for the rest of the night, the family continued to admire the newest member of the family.

~*~

"Aww", Pearl said, "That's a sweet story."

Wocky was red as a beet the whole time.

"Aww, man", He said, "Why'd ya halfta tell 'er _that _story?!"

"Don't you want her to know how you were born, sweetie?"

"Well, it don't matta, but why'd ya halfta bring up that I used to make a 'wokin'' noise?"

"That's so cute that that's where your name came from", Pearl said as she smiled at him, "I wonder if our's will do the same."

"I doubt it", Wocky said.

"There's only one 'wokker' in this family", Plum said laughing.

"Mooooom..."

Soon they were done eating as they got up and put the dishes away.

"Have you thought about the baby shower yet, sweetie?" Plum asked as she was cleaning the dishes.

"No", Pearl answered as she was helping her, "I don't know when to have it..."

"I had mine the month before. It was a rather nice little party, too..."

She starting reminiscing about it.

"I guess I'll wait until then, too, I guess... Do they have baby showers back in Kurain?"

"Yes. The last one I went to was a very long time ago, though. Basically we just had tea and dinner for the expectant mother and gave her gifts."

"Oh, what do you know! We did the same thing! Right, honey?"

"Yes, dear", Winfred said as he finished putting away dishes and began to head back to his office.

She then turned back to Pearl and said, "I think we should do it that way, don't you think?"

"Sure", Pearl answered, "Why not? That would be a great idea!"

"I'll go write everything down to get later..."

"Isn't it a little early, Mother?"

"Nonsense! It's _never _too early to plan something _this _important!"

Soon they were done putting the dishes away, and they proceeded to head to the living room.

**

Meanwhile, at the Wright Anything Agency, Phoenix and Trucy were having lunch themselves.

"I _still _can't beleive it, Daddy!" Trucy said as she ate her helping of Eldoon's famous noodles, "Wocky and Pearl... Having a _baby_!"

"I can't beleive it either", Phoenix said as he ate his own bowl, "It's quite extrodinary-"

Suddenly, the phone rang.

"I'll get it Daddy", Trucy said as she went to the phone.

"Hello~"

_"Hello, Trucy."_

"Hi... _Mommy~_", Trucy said giggling.

Pearl giggled too.

"So, how are you? Are you still feeling bad? Daddy says pregnant ladies get sick in the morning and eat a lot!"

_"Yes, Mr. Nick is definately right, but Mrs. Kitaki has given me all these remedies and advice about dealing with it... She's such a good woman."_

"That's Little Plum for you! And how's Wocky? Is he doing OK?"

_"Yes, he's fine. He's been very supportive and looking to be a good father already. He says 'Lil' G is in good hands, yo, know what I'm sayin''?"_

Trucy giggled again and said, "Wocky is so cute! Even as a father he's still the same!"

_"So true! Anyway, Plum says she's already planning the baby shower."_

"Oooooh~ When is it, Pearl?! Daddy and I have been wondering what to get you!"

_"Possibly in June, since my due date is July thirty first."_

"_July_?! Oh, that's such a long time away! Well, I promise we'll get you something nice!"

_"Thank you, Trucy."_

"Tee hee! Anything for my best friends~"

Pearl laughed.

_"Can I talk to Mr. Nick, Trucy?"_

"Sure!"

She then went up to Phoenix and handed him the phone.

"Daddy, Pearl wants to talk to you."

Phoenix took the phone from her and said, "Hello, Pearls. You holding up with that baby of yours?"

_"Hi, Mr. Nick. Yes, I'm doing fine."_

"That's good. Make sure you take good care of yourself, and listen to what the doctor tells you, alright?"

_"You don't have to worry about that. Mrs. Kitaki makes me good meals every day and asks me if I'm __fine all the time."_

"That's nice of her. Is Wocky helping you too? And Mr. Kitaki?"

_"Yes. Wocky's been very good. He talks to 'Lil' G' all the time! And Mr. Kitaki is helping too!"_

"Good. You're lucky to have all this support, you know, especially during a time like this."

_"Yes, I know."  
_

"Guessing from hearing Trucy, I'm assuming your due date is in July?"

_"Yes, July thirty first."_

"I see... Well, did you get an ultrasound while you were at the doctor's?"

_"No... She said she wanted to wait until the next appointment."_

"And when is that?"

_"January fourth, I think."_

"Well, when you get it, send us the picture of 'Lil' G', alright? Trucy wants to see him quite badly."

Pearl giggled and said, _"Alright, I will!"_

"Well, I don't want to keep you too long, so I'll let you go now."

_"Goodbye, Mr. Nick."_

"Goodbye, Pearls."

After he hung up, he put the phone away and went back to Trucy.

"Pearls says she's going to show us her first ultrasound picture when she goes to her next 'baby appointment'."

"Oh, boy!" Trucy said excitedly, "I can't wait! Oooh, Lil' G's going to be soooo cuuuuute~"

"I'm sure he will be... But-"

"What, Daddy?"

"What if Pearls... Has a girl?"

Trucy squealed and said, "Oh, I think she'd be just as pretty as Pearl! I can see it now..."

She imagined a baby version of Pearl in her arms.

"Awwwwww~"

"Or even... _T-Twins?"_

"Then there'll be _two _Lil' Gs then, Daddy!"

She then imagined another scene with twin toddlers that looked like Wocky tugging on her cape asking 'Auntie Trucy' to do a magic trick for them.

Trucy sighed dreamily and said, "That would be _amazing_, Daddy~"

Phoenix sighed nervously and said, "Yes... Yes it would..."

He then watched his daughter go to her room to look for a baby shower gift for Pearl.

~*~

"What'd Nick say?" Wocky asked Pearl after she hung up the phone.

"He said he and Trucy wanted to see the first ultrasound picture when we get it", Pearl answered.

"Oh."

They then sat silent for a moment, until Wocky took her hand and said, "Hey, let's go to our section of Mom's garden and jus' sit, awright? I don't wancha to sit all cooped up in the house, y'know."

As they walked to the backyard through the door in their room she said, "Alright..."

**

When they got out there, they sat on a bench underneath a cherry blossom tree.

"Ya still scared, gurl?" Wocky asked as he put his arm around Pearl.

"Yes", She answered as she put her head on his shoulder, "I... I don't know what to expect... What if I go into labor and we don't get to the hospital in time? What if something happens to the baby? What if-"

Wocky put his finger on her lips and said, "Shh, it's awright, nothin' bad's gonna happen... Ya gonna be awright, I promise."

He then patted her belly and said, "You don't worry eitha, Lil' G... When ya come out I'll be right there waitin' for ya an' make sure yer OK."

Pearl hugged him and said, "Oh, Wocky..."

They then sat silent and looked out to the koi pond in front of them.

"Y'know what?" Wocky said a few moments later, "When we first bring Lil' G home, I wanna bring 'em out here an' show 'em this garden... Mom an' Pops did the same thing with me when I was born..."

~*~

_March 26, 2007. 2:15 PM. Kitaki Mansion- Garden._

Plum was sitting in the mansion's elaborate Japanese garden on a bench, holding her little Wocky in her arms.

"See the little fishies in the pond, sweetie?" She said as she carefully bent down and held him near the water so he could see the fishes.

He gurgled and squirmed.

She held him close to her again and said, "You like that, huh? Oh, you are the _cutest_ thing~ Yes, you are~"

Wocky cooed and kicked playfully as he mother tickled his tummy.

She then held him over her shoulder and rubbed his back, his head touching her cheek.

"You are _such _a good baby~"

He murmured softly in response.

During all of this, Winfred was standing in the doorway, watching his wife and his newborn son bond.

_"Lil' Plum jus' can't get away from that lil' fella", _He thought as he walked over to them.

He sat down next to his wife and put his arm around her.

"Hello, Winnie~" Plum said as she nuzzled her husband's neck, still holding Wocky, "I'm just showing our little darling the garden. He really likes the koi."

Winfred scratched the back of his neck and said, "So he does..."

Wocky then directed his cute little fox-like eyes toward his father, looking at him expectantly.

"Hey, lil' fella", He said as he patted him on the head gently, "You bein' a good boy for your Mamma?"

The baby smiled at him and closed his eyes, opening his mouth in an attempt to laugh.

"Aww~", Plum said, "He loves you~"

Winfred took the baby from his wife and held him in his arms, their faces close together.

"Look atcha", He said to him, "_You're _gonna be the next Kitaki family head? _This _lil' thing?"

"Winnie, he'll grow", Plum laughed, "You'll see! Oh, I bet he'll be _so _handsome when he's all grown up~"

"Jus' like his ol' man", Her husband said proudly.

"Whadda ya think, son?"

Wocky just stared at him, then yawned.

"Oh, I think it's time for his nap", His mother said as she took him away from Winfred and got up, "Come along, little one~"

As he watched her carry his son into the house, he smiled and thought, _"Y'know, Wocky's a pretty good kid already. Maybe havin' a kid ain't so bad afta all..."_

"I bet he's gonna tough as nails, jus' like me someday..."

~*~

"Wow", Pearl said, "There's a lot more history here than I thought!"

"Yeah", Wocky said, stratching the back of his neck, "I guess there is..."

She then kissed him and said, "I can't wait to see you with 'Lil' G' out here... It'll be just like you and your father..."

"Yeah, yeah", He said bashfully.

They then turned back to the pond and watched the autumn leaves blow in the wind.

* * *

_**Reviews are nice. Flames are not.**_

_**Phew, another chapter done. This one took me a while because of me getting ready to go back to college tomorrow (Ffffft) and I had a bit of a writer's block again.**_

_**How'd ya like the flashbacks to Wocky's birth? I wanted to do something about this for a while, so I just implemented it into this story. Bah Wocky was such a cute baby~ **_

_**And as for his birthday, I obviously made it up. I assumed it was between January and June since in 4-2 they mention that Wocky got a shiv for his birthday, so I assumed it was recent. (And he's an Aries like me fweeee~)**_

_**Weeks along- 4 still.**_

_**Alright, I guess I'll see you in the next chapter!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hello! Here's another chapter for you! I've decided to jump to a month later (January 2030) and Pearl's still having her worries. Let's see how she's holding up...**_

* * *

Four weeks had gone by, and Pearl was still having her worries about the pregnancy. Today was her second checkup with Mrs. Zoobay, and she was excited since she was going to be able to see what 'Lil' G' will look like.

~*~

Wocky and Pearl were sitting in the doctor's office, waiting for her to come out.

"We're gonna see Lil' G today", Wocky said, "On that lil' ultra thing..."

"I know", Pearl responded as she looked out the window, "I wonder if he'll look like you or me...?"

"Me", Her husband said proudly, "He _is _my son, afta all..."

She giggled and said, "It's quite possible, but right now he won't really look like a baby..."

"Yeah. That picture Mom showed us of me when I was in 'er was really weird. I looked like an alien or somethin'!"

"He's going to look like that, too."

"I know, I know... But when he comes out he betta look right!"

"Wocky..."

Soon the doctor came in and said, "Come on in, you two..."

They got up and followed Mrs. Zoobay to the examination room.

**

The doctor checked Pearl's weight, blood pressure, urine, examined her body and asked her her symptoms she was currently having.

She wrote it all down and said, "You seem to be doing very well, my dear. You're having the usual symptoms of pregnancy, which is good, nothing unusual..."

She then asked Pearl to lie down on the examination table so she could do the ultrasound on her.

Mrs. Zoobay then set up the machine and rubbed a gel on Pearl's stomach, and proceeded to perform the ultrasound.

On the monitor, all they could see was a black and white image of the inside of Pearl's womb.

"Where is he?" Wocky asked as he looked at it curiously.

The doctor pointed to a small white blob on the screen and said, "Right here."

"Woah, he's lil!"

She chuckled and said, "Not for long! This little one will be growing rapidly in the next few weeks, and in no time he'll start to look more like a baby!"

Pearl giggled and said, "I wonder how he likes it in there... He'll probably be like Wocky did to his mother and kick me to death!"

Mrs. Zoobay laughed and said, "Oh, he won't be doing any kicking for a while. For now he'll just float in there quietly... Though you know, some babies may kick more than others, so don't be alarmed when it comes around the fourth or fifth month and he's not kicking. He might just be shy..."

She giggled after that, as did Pearl.

"_Me, _havin' a shy kid?" Wocky said, "There ain't no shy Kitakis!"

"What about Rocco?" Pearl asked.

"Oh, yeah... But he's gotten a lot betta since he started hangin' out with Shorty... Damn, I thought he was gonna knock Philly's brains out when he was harassin' 'er at the weddin'!"

"Oh, dear!" The doctor said.

"I was so proud of 'em that day... That lil' pinhead finally got some guts..."

He then turned to the ultrasound and said, "I hope ya turn out to be a strong as the rest o' us, Lil' G... Yer gonna be the sixth head o' the family someday, so ya gotta be..."

"Oh, Wocky..."

"What a great father you're turning out to be..."

Wocky blushed when they said that and scratched the back of his neck.

"Um, yeah, I guess..."

"Well", The doctor said as she turned off the ultrasound, "The baby looks very healthy so far! You've done a great job taking care of yourself, sweetie."

"Thank you", Pearl said as she got up, "I'm glad I have a good doctor such as you."

"Oh, aren't you sweet~"

She then turned to Wocky and said, "How did you manage to find such a nice girl, especially someone with your family background?"

"It won't easy", Wocky responded, "She was real skittish 'round me at first, an' after a while she jus' started to like me... I dunno, man... We jus'-"

"I was just drawn to him", Pearl cut in, "Yes, he _did _frighten me quite a bit when I first met him, but after I started seeing him more, I just..."

She then went up to Wocky and hugged him.

"That's so sweet", Mrs. Zoobay said as she walked out into the waiting room with them, "Well, at least I know this baby will be born into a happy, healthy relationship."

They were silent for the next few moments.

"Doctor", Pearl asked, "When is the next appointment?"

"Hmm, let's see... How about we make it... February fourth?"

"Yes, that's fine."

Before they walked out of the office the doctor said, "Take care, now, and if you have any questions, please don't be afraid to call me!"

"Don't worry", Pearl said, "I will."

**

On the drive back home, Wocky and Pearl were having another conversation.

"Man", Wocky said as he was driving, "Lil' G looked so weird! He betta not look like that when he comes out!"

Pearl giggled and said, "Don't worry, Wocky, he won't. You heard what the doctor said, didn't you?"

"Yeah..."

They stopped talking for a few moments, until Pearl spoke again.

"I'm glad we found such a good doctor. She really seems to know what she's doing."

"Uh huh..."

She turned to him worriedly and said, "Wocky, what's wrong?"

"I dunno", He answered, "I... I keep thinkin' 'bout the day when Lil' G's gonna be born... I'm scared to see ya goin' through that 'labor' stuff... Mom says she was ready to chew Pops' head off when she was havin' me..."

"I'm scared too, Wocky", She said, "And I'll apologize in advance for all the horrible things I might say to you when I'm going through labor... But look at what we'll get when it's all over..."

"... We'll have a son... A new heir to the Kitaki family."

"You're right, Pea... But, it still makes me worry 'bout ya."

"Oh, Wocky..."

For the rest of the ride, they said nothing as they listened to the radio.

**

When they arrived back at the mansion, they were greeted by boxes and furniture all over the foyer. Wocky's furniture.

"_Da hell_?!" Wocky said as he looked at all of his belongings from his old room, "Why's all my stuff in boxes?!"

Plum laughed and said, "Oh, honey, we're changing your old room into the baby's nursery!"

"Huh?! A _nursery_??"

"It's a baby room, son", Winfred said as he was carrying a box down the stairs, "That room was your nursery when you were a baby."

"And now it's going to be _your_ baby's room", His wife added.

"We found your old crib, son. Might as well use it again."

"Winnie, we should get a_ new_ crib!"

"What? And waste the one we already have?"

"Winnie, that crib is over twenty years old! I think we need to get something that's more into the times..."

She then left the room and came back a few moments later with a brand new crib already put together.

"... Which is why I went out and bought _this _one."

"Pluuuuum..."

"It looks very nice, Mother", Pearl said as she looked at the crib.

"And look", Plum said as she pointed to the mobile attached, hanging above the crib, "I made him a mobile."

The mobile consisted of the 'bakeshop fox' with different poses and expressions.

"Aww", Pearl said, "Isn't it cute, Wocky?"

"Yeah, sure", Wocky responded.

Plum then took out a baby blanket with the same fox embroidered on it and said, "I made him a blanket, too."

"Awww..."

A few moments later she took out another baby blanket, this time with the same pink and yellow stripe pattern as Wocky's jacket.

"I made another one so he could match his Papa", She said with a giggle.

Pearl giggled as well and said, "That's so sweet of you, Mother..."

Wocky just sat there blank faced.

"Oh, it was no trouble at all, dear", Her mother-in-law responded.

"Have you made him any clothes?"

"Oh, not yet. I'm going to work on that soon. Though, we're not even sure if 'Lil' G' is a boy yet..."

"He is, Mom", Wocky said, "He even says so! Didn't ya, Lil' G?"

"..."

"He says he is in fact, a boy."

Plum and Pearl both giggled.

"Oh, sweetie", His mother said, "Are you sure about that? What if he's lying about what he _really_ is?"

"Huh?"

"What I'm saying is... What if 'Lil' G' _really _isn't a G?"

"Whadda ya mean, Mom?"

"What if 'Lil' G' is a girl?"

"Ffft, no way", Wocky said, "When I saw 'em in the ultra... Thing, he definitely looked like a boy to me!"

"Wocky, he's only a little thing", Plum said, "There would be no way to tell right now what gender he is."

"Well, I'm gettin' the vibes that he's a he... That's what my gut's tellin' me an' I'm stickin' to it."

"Would you get mad if we had a daughter, Wocky?" Pearl asked worriedly.

"No, o' course not!" He responded.

"That would be quite interesting", Plum said, "... It would be the first time a female would be born into the main Kitaki family line... As in, Great-Great Grandfather Kitaki, Great-Grandfather Kitaki, Grandfather Kitaki, Winnie, and Wocky..."

"It would be the first time we'd have an heiress in the family", Winfred said.

"What about Wocky's female cousins?" Pearl asked.

"They're not in the 'main' family", Plum said, "They're in the 'branch' family..."

"That sounds like how my family is."

"Uh huh..."

"Would she be able to be the head of the family?"

"Well... No."

"Why?"

"Well, because if she gets married, she of course would take her husband's name, and she would just be continuing his family..."

"... Only sons of the main Kitaki family can become the family heads. If you may have more than one son, the oldest son will be the one..."

"Jus' like with Pops an' Uncle 'Seppe an' Uncle Deano", Wocky said.

"Exactly."

Plum then sighed and said, "Sorry for the history lesson, dears..."

"It's OK, Mother", Pearl said, "I've been wondering that for a while now..."

"Have you now? Well, now you know..."

She then turned to Wocky and said, "Sweetie, could you help your father carry some of these boxes? He's getting up there and age, and-"

"Awright, awright", Wocky interrupted as he went upstairs to his room, "Don't have a cow, Mom..."

Plum chuckled and said, "Silly boy..."

She then took Pearl's hand and said, "And you can help me make the baby's clothes and linens!"

"Oh, alright", Pearl responded as they headed to the living room.

**

When Wocky got to his old room, he had found that his mother went all out decorating it for the baby.

There were murals of cute foxes everywhere and she decorated it very elaborately.

"_My room... I-It's... It's gone..."_

"Son", Winfred said, "Would you quit standin' there and help me?"

"Awright..."

He proceeded to walk up to a heavy box his father was trying to pick up, and picked it up with him.

"Be careful, son, there's a lamp in here..."

They then walked down the stairs carefully with the box to the foyer, and put it down when they got to the bottom.

"Thanks", His father said as he sat down in a chair nearby, wiping sweat from his brow.

"_Old fart", _Wocky thought.

"When'd y'all decide to change my room into Lil' G's room?" He asked a few moments later.

"When you and Pearl were out", Winfred answered, "It was your mother's idea. She couldn't wait to set up that kid's room."

"She's always doin' somethin' crazy."

"Yeah."

"... So, Wocky, you gettin' nervous about havin' a kid?"

"Yeah. I've been thinkin' 'bout it all the time... I'm worried 'bout Pea, man..."

"She'll be fine... You know, I worried about your mother too, when she was carrying you around in her belly..."

"Really?"

"Of course, son. She means the world to me, and she was havin' such a hard time during it..."

"Pearl's doin' awright so far, Pops... 'Cept with her gettin' sick in the mornin' and eatin' a lot, but that ain't really a big deal to me..."

"... It's gonna be weird seein' 'er with a 'baby bump'."

Winfred chuckled and said, "It was weird for me too, since your mother... Had quite a figure back then..."

Wocky shook his head and said, "She's gonna look fat."

"Don't tell her that, son. It'll make her feel bad."

"Well, duh, o' course I won't say it to 'er face! I don't wanna hurt 'er feelins, y'know? I love 'er too much to do that..."

"I know."

"... Will Pearl go back to her regular figure afta she has 'em?"

"Can't say for sure... After your mother had you, she gained some weight... But that's normal for women that have-"

"So she's gonna get fat?!"

"No, no! She won't as long as she exercises and eats right, which see seems to be doing. Your mother... Wasn't quite as active... But don't tell her I said that!"

"Awright, awright, don't shit it yer draws, Pops!"

Winfred slapped Wocky on the forehead and said, "Quit talkin' to me like that! Have some respect, why doncha?"

His son rubbed his forehead and groaned.

~*~

Meanwhile, Plum and Pearl were siting in the living room going through a box of baby clothes and linens.

"Did you make all of these?" Pearl asked as she held up one of the clothes.

"Sure did, dear", Plum answered, "Wocky wore most of these when he was still little..."

"... Well, except these new ones..."

She then held up the two garments. The first one looked like Wocky's jacket, sans the dog and arrow prints.

Pearl giggled and said, "You really want him to match Wocky, don't you?"

"I thought it would be cute", Plum responded, "And I think he would really-"

Soon Wocky and Winfred came into the room.

"We're done, honey", Winfred said as he sat down next to his wife, "Glad Wocky was around to help... Or I would've thrown my back out..."

He then rubbed his back and groaned in a 'feel sorry for me' sort of way.

"Cut it out, Pops", Wocky said, "You were jus' fine when we was carryin' those boxes!"

Plum laughed and said, "Oh, I'll go get you an ice pack, Winnie", and left the room to the kitchen.

"Why don't we look at the baby's room?" Pearl said as she took Wocky's hand.

"Awright", He responded as they walked out of the room and upstairs to the nursery.

**

"Mother did an excellent job with the decorating", Pearl said as she looked around the room.

Everything was put in, except for the crib.

"Yeah", Wocky said with a sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"It's weird... This used to be _my_ room... But now... It's gonna be Lil' G's room..."

"I know, Wocky, but you weren't even using this room anymore."

"But this was my room..."

"Wocky..."

He looked at where his bed used to be and sighed.

"Where's all my stuff gonna go?"

"In our room, of course!"

Wocky slapped his forehead and said, "Aww, man, why didn't I think of that?! I'm so stupid..."

"No you're not", Pearl said as she went up to him and put her arms around him.

"Pea", Wocky said as he put his arms around her in return.

They sat silent as they thought about their future as parents.

* * *

_**Reviews are nice. Flames are not.**_

_**Finally this chapter is done! It took me a week but I did it! College got in the way but I finally did it. **_

_**I think Wocky's finally starting to feel anxiety about being a father soon...**_

_**And poor Winfred having back problems XD**_

_**Weeks along- 8 (Still a ways to go.)**_

_**Stay tuned for the next chapter!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Howdy again. This chapter's kind of strange as Wocky wakes up in the middle of the night from a nightmare.**_

* * *

"_... Pea, why're ya doin' this to me?! Why're ya bein' so-"_

_  
"GOD DAMMIT WOCKY, WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP?!"_

"Pea, jus' calm dow-"

"AAAAAAGGH!"

"H-Here, lemme jus' wipe yer-"

"SHUT UP SHUT SHUT UP SHUT UUUUUUUP!"

"_I HATE YOU WOCKY!"_

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"YOU DID THIS TO ME!"

"_AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHH!!"_

**

Wocky shot up in his bed, broken out into a sweat. He'd been having the same dream every night for the past few weeks now.

He looked over at his clock: 3:24 AM. He then turned to Pearl, who was still sound asleep.

"_This 'Pearl bein' pregnant' thing is really gettin' to me", _He thought as he got up and headed to the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face, _"I felt happy at first 'bout bein' a dad... But now... I feel like I can't do it..."  
_

"_... I'm scared of Pearl yellin' an' bitchin' at me while she's havin' her 'labor'... Like 'er sayin' she hates me an' stuff..."_

"... Like in that dream... It's almost makin' me not want to be a dad anymore, but I don't wanna tell 'er that-"

"Wocky?"

Wocky turned around to see Pearl sitting up in bed, and then started having flashbacks of his dream.

"Wocky, what's wrong? I've been seeing you get up this late for the past couple of weeks now..."

He got back in bed and said, "I-I'm fine, don't worry 'bout me..."

"No", She said as she put her arms around him, "You're not fine. Something's bothering you..."

"No there ain't", He said, "I jus' had to-"

"Wocky... I can tell there is something wrong... Now please tell me what it is..."

He looked at her, sighed and said, "... It's 'bout our kid."

"Huh? But I thought you were so excited about 'Lil' G'..."

"... Y-Ya see... I keep havin' this dream..."

"About what? The baby?"

"Kinda... But... It was 'bout you havin' 'em... An' you were yellin' and bitchin' at me..."

Pearl looked in his eyes worriedly and said, "... W-What did I say?"

Wocky looked at her and said, "...'Shut up!'... 'I hate you!'... 'This is all your fault!'... 'You did this to me!'..."

She started to tear up as she put her arms around him.

"Why in the world would make you think I would _ever_ say things like that to you?" She said through her tears.

"I dunno", He said as he held her, "... It started when Pops told me 'bout when Mom was havin' me... An' she was doin' that stuff to him..."

"I promise you", She said, "I won't do that... I don't hate you, Wocky... I love you... And you're making it seem like I think that our baby is a curse, judging by what I said in your dream."

"Lil' G ain't a curse", He said, "I think I keep havin' this dream 'cause I'm... _Scared._"

"Scared? Why would you be scared?"

"I'm scared I'm gonna lose it when you have 'em, an' that I won't be a good dad."

"Wocky", Pearl said worriedly, "I thought you said you were fine! That you were totally prepared!"

"Well, I ain't, OK?! Eva since we first found out he was comin', I've been freakin' out an' worryin' 'bout you! It's stressin' me out so much... It's almost makin' me wish Lil' G would go away..."

Pearl started to cry when he said that.

"You want our baby to _go away_?!" She yelled through her tears, "How could you say something like that?! This is our_ child_!"

"G-Gurl", Wocky said, wishing he'd never said that, "I'm scared, OK? I ain't ready for a kid!"

"What happened to talking to Lil' G in my belly, huh?! What do you think he'd say about his father saying what you just said?!"

He didn't say anything as she looked at him angrily.

"What on earth is going on in here?"

They turned around to see Plum and Winfred standing in the doorway in their pajamas.

"What's all this yelling about?" Winfred asked, "Don't you know what time it is?"

"Wocky is denying our child!" Pearl said, still crying.

"No I ain't!" Wocky said.

"Yes, you are! You said you wanted him to go away!"

Plum went over to Pearl and hugged her.

"Now dear", She said, "He doesn't mean that..."

She then glared at her son and said, "_Do you?"  
_

"N-No, Mom", Wocky stuttered, "I'm jus' been real uptight 'bout this whole thing, eva since the beginnin'!"

"Why didn't you tell us, sweetie?"

"He's hardheaded", Winfred said, "He won't admit to havin' a problem."

"Am not!"

"Alright, alright", Plum said, "Just calm down, honey..."

She then beckoned Wocky to sit next to her, and she hugged him as well.

"I know you're scared, sweetie", She said, "Becoming a parent isn't easy, trust me... I went through this too with your father."

"No we didn't", Her husband said shortly.

"Yes we did! You were scared about becoming a father too, don't lie!"

"OK, OK... Maybe I _was _a bit apprehensive..."

Pearl looked at Wocky and said, "I'm sorry for yelling at you... I didn't know exactly how afraid you were."

"I ain't 'fraid!" Wocky said sternly, "I'm jus'... _Unprepared_!"

"Well you better get prepared real quick, son. That baby's comin' and he's gonna need you!"

"I know, Pops... But I don't know if I'd be able to do it..."

He then leaned into Pearl's belly and said, "I'm sorry, Lil' G... I didn't mean all those things I said..."

"..."

"Did he say anything?" Pearl asked, "I bet he's quite angry with you..."

"He says: 'It's awright, Papa, I'm scared too.'"

"Why?" Plum asked, "Is the poor dear too afraid to come out?"

Wocky turned back to 'Lil' G' and said, "Is that what it is?"

"_Uh huh... What if it's scary out there?"_

"It's not scary, Lil' G."

_"'Really, Papa?"_

"Naw. An' besides, you can't stay in there foreva, y'know."

_"I know, Papa, but I'm scared like you."_

Wocky wished he could comfort him, but the only way he could was by holding Pearl close to him.

"It's OK, Lil' G. When ya come out I'm gonna be the first person ya see."

"_Really?"_

"Yeah! So ya don't gotta be 'fraid!"

"_Thank you, Papa..."_

Wocky wrinkled his nose and looked at Pearl's belly confusedly.

"Huh?"

"What is it, Wocky?" Pearl asked.

"Jus' now", He said, "I think Lil' G was startin' to sound like... You."

"Really?"

He nodded and said, "Yeah. He jus' said 'thank you' to me, jus' like the way you said it."

"My goodness", Plum said, "So he's going to grow up to be a polite gentleman?"

"I guess", Her son answered, "But that's the first time I heard him be that polite... He usually says stuff the way I say it."

He turned back to 'Lil' G' again.

"Lil' G?"

"_Yeah, Papa?"_

"Why're ya changin' on me all of a sudden?"

"_Whadda ya mean?!"_

"I mean... I'm startin' to see ya act like yer mother... All polite an' stuff..."

"_'Polite'? What does that mean, Papa?"_

"It means that you act nice to people, and treat 'em good."

_"Oh."  
_

"Can you hear all this, Pea?" Wocky asked.

"Uh huh", Pearl answered, "Lil' G's voice sounds a bit different than before however."

"Whadda ya mean?! This is my boy, he sounds jus' like me!"

"He does, but his tone is starting to become more... Gentle."

"Aww", Plum said, "So he's gonna be a nice, gentle boy?"

"No way!" Wocky said as he puffed out , "My boy is big an' bad, jus' like me!"

"_Papa..."_

"What's the matta, Lil' G? Don't tell me you don't wanna be like me!"

"_I'm sorry, Papa, but... I can't."_

"Why?!"

_"I jus' don't feel like that, y'know? Ova the past few weeks, I've been feelin' different."_

"Huh?!"

_"At first I did have the 'gangsta' vibe, but now I feel like I'm losin' it a lil'."_

"Yer losin' yer gangsta vibe?!"

"Maybe he doesn't want to be 'gangsta'", Pearl said, "You pushed it on him so much that he's probably sick of it."

"_Mamma's right, Papa..."_

"Huh?! A Kitaki that _doesn't _wanna be gangsta?! This is whack, man!"

Lil' G started to 'cry' when he said that.

"An' he's _cryin' _now! Kitaki men don't cry!"

Winfred shook his said when he said that.

"Wocky", Plum said, "Go easy on him, he's only a baby! Maybe he just got more of the Fey genes!"

As Wocky tried to calm down he said, "Yer right, Mom... Maybe he'll jus' come out like Pearl, which is cool with me... But I still want a son like me, though..."

"Son", Winfred said, "He's got your genes and Pearl's genes in 'em, so he could actually end up comin' out actin' like both of you at the same time, which is what I think is happening here... Well, according to what you think he's saying, that is..."

"That's right", His wife said, "There's a big example of that here, sweetie..."

"An' what's that, Mom?"

"You."

"_Me_?! How?!"

"You look just like your mother", His father said, "And you act just like her too. However, you got some of my traits as well."

Wocky scratched the back of his head and said, "I-I guess..."

Plum looked at the clock and said, "We really should be going back to sleep; It's almost four in the morning, and you have work tomorrow, young man!"

"Mooooom..."

"And so do you, Winnie!"

They then left the room as Winfred grumbled grumpily.

After they left, Wocky and Pearl laid back down on their pillows and tried to go back to sleep.

"Wocky?" Pearl asked as she looked at him.

"Yeah?" He answered as he looked back.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"It's OK, babe... I didn't want ya to know I was nervous 'cause it would make ya worry more."

"I'm not worried... Well, I am about the baby, but not about you! I know you'll be a good father... Just look at _your _father. He's a wonderful man."

"Aww, cut it out, Pea..."

"I'm serious! You'll be fine! Now just promise me you won't say you want 'Lil' G' to go away anymore?"

"Awright... I'm sorry I said that... I won't thinkin'..."

"I know."

She then kissed him on the nose and said, "Now let's go back to sleep; You heard what Mother said: 'You and Father have work tomorrow.'"

"What 'bout yer appointment? I won't be able to be there..."

"Mother is going to go with me, remember?"

"Oh, yeah..."

They then started to close their eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

_**Reviews are nice. Flames are not.**_

_**  
Quickie chapter this time.**_

_**And just a note, 'Lil' G' isn't actually talking; They're just hearing his voice in their heads. Little bit of a supernatural kind of element here.**_

_**Weeks along- 12 **_

_**Anxiety's building up to the big day, huh? I honestly can't wait until I get to write the chapter when the baby finally comes.**_

_**Stay tuned for the next chapter!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**In this chapter, Pearl goes to her third doctor's appointment, and also, Wocky still has doubts about being a good father...**_

* * *

The next morning, Plum had gone with Pearl to her appointment with Mrs. Zoobay, since Winfred and Wocky had to tend to the shop today.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" Plum asked Pearl as they were sitting in the waiting room, "You were quite upset with Wocky last night."

"Yes, Mother", Pearl answered, "I'm fine. It just upset me that he said he wanted our baby to 'go away'."

"Oh, he didn't mean it. He said he was sorry, didn't he? _He better have_..."

"Yes, he did, but... After hearing him say that he wasn't ready to be a father... It kind of worried me."

"You don't have to worry, honey, he'll be fine. Despite what he says, I think he'll be a good father... Maybe not the _most_ responsible one, but a good one nonetheless..."

"I hope so."

Plum then looked at Pearl's belly and said, "'Lil' G' will be in good hands, you can count on that."

"Thank you, Mother..."

"_Thank you, Gramma..."_

"Oh!"

"What is it, sweetie?"

"Lil' G just said 'thank you'", Pearl said playfully.

"Aww..."

Soon the doctor came in and beckoned them to come back into the examination room with her.

**

"Hmmm... Weight is good... Blood pressure normal... Urine sample normal... Hm hmmm..."

Mrs. Zoobay then turned to Pearl and said, "You're doing very good this month... And according to how far along you are so far, you're almost at the end of your first trimester!"

"Goodness!" Plum said, "How time flies!"

"I'll say", Pearl responded, "I'm glad it's almost over..."

"How are your symptoms? Getting any better?"

"Yes, very much so. My morning sickness has eased up quite a bit, but I still feel a bit tired at times."

"Good, good..."

She then got Pearl to lie down and said, "Now let's see how your baby is doing."

Mrs. Zoobay set up the ultrasound and began to look at the monitor showing 'Lil G'.

She also set up a Doppler so she could detect his heartbeat.

"How are you doing in there, little fella?" The doctor asked in a 'baby voice'.

She continued to examine him and trying to find his heartbeat.

"Oh!"

"What is it, Nina?" Plum asked.

"You hear that? I found his heartbeat!"

They went quiet for a moment, and sure enough, they heard a heartbeat coming from the Doppler.

"Wow", Pearl said.

"Reminds me of when I heard Wocky's heart for the first time", Plum said with a sigh, "It was so miraculous..."

Pearl then turned to the doctor and asked, "Can you tell what 'Lil' G' is yet?"

Mrs. Zoobay looked closer at the monitor and tried to find a clue for what gender he was.

"Hmm... You can determine the sex of a baby at this stage, but it seems that 'Lil' G' doesn't want us to see!"

She then pointed out that the baby had his back turned, therefore couldn't see anything.

"Awww", Plum said, "You're a shy one, aren't you~"

Pearl giggled and said, "I can already see his personality showing!"

"Not like his father at all!" Plum said again, "With Wocky, he wasn't afraid to show _anything_."

"Oh, my", The doctor said, "But perhaps he's more like his mother here."

"Maybe", Pearl said, "But Wocky goes on and on about having a son just like him... I don't want him to be disappointed if he comes out differently..."

"Don't worry", The doctor said, "I've seen many fathers go through this. I remember this one couple; The husband also wanted a son, to grow up to be just like him and continue the family..."

"So what happened?"

"... They did have a son... But they also had a girl to go along with him."

"They had _twins_?"

"Yes! And do you know who their mother is...?"

"I don't know..."

"You're looking at her."

"_You_? You mean Dr. Zoobay wanted a son, too? And you ended up having boy-girl twins?"

"Sure did", Mrs. Zoobay said, "They're grown up now... Just went off to Ivy University a few months ago..."

"I see", Pearl said, "But... Are you saying _I_ might have twins?"

"Oh, no", The doctor answered, "I've already confirmed that you're carrying only one baby, but if you were to get pregnant again, it might be possible, since you told me you had half sisters that are twins."

"Yes, Iris and Dahlia..."

Dahlia was the culprit of a murder case many years ago, using a bottle of poison as her weapon. Phoenix almost fell victim to this, since she was supposedly his love interest, but fortunately she was brought to justice and ultimately executed.

Iris, however, was the polar opposite. She was sweet and kind, and was Phoenix's true love interest in college, since she posed as Dahlia to try to save him from her plan. She was also involved in a murder case herself, as an accomplice. She got off the hook however, but Pearl and everyone else hadn't had contact with her since.

"_I wonder what Iris would say about me having a baby?"_

"Yes, yes", The doctor said, "I remember..."

She continued to write things down as she said, "Well, everything seems to be good! Your baby is doing very well!"

"Thank you", Pearl said, "I'm glad to hear that."

"So am I", Plum said as they were walking out, "I simply just can't wait to see that little baby and just... Oooh~"

The doctor and Pearl giggled.

"Well", Mrs. Zoobay said, "How about we make our next appointment March 4?"

"That's fine", Pearl said.

The doctor then shook Pearl and Plum's hands and said, "Well, I guess I'll see you next month! Take care now!"

**

When they got home, Plum and Pearl headed to the kitchen to make some lunch.

"That brought back so many memories", Plum said, "Seeing that baby on the ultrasound..."

She thought back when Wocky was a baby.

"I miss those days... He was so cute and innocent back then... Now he's grown up and becoming a parent himself..."

She then sighed dreamily.

"Speaking of which, when is he coming home?"

"They'll be here soon, don't worry. Wocky just 'texted' me a few moments ago saying they're on the way."

"... You know, today was the first time Wocky's gone to work in a while."

"Well, Winnie needed some help down there, and staff was running low today, so he had to."

"I know, but... It's the first time we've been apart since we found out the baby is coming."

"Aww. Don't worry, Winnie says he's going to make Wocky take the rest of the time during your pregnancy off so he can be here with you."

Pearl smiled and said, "I'm sure he'd agree to that."

"I think so too!"

Soon they were done making lunch and they went to the dining room to eat.

**

"That was a bit strange that 'Lil' G' had his back turned while the doctor was trying to figure out his gender", Pearl said as she was eating homemade noodles.

"Babies do that sometimes", Plum said, "Wocky did it too, but most of the time he was front and center!"

They both giggled.

They continued to eat until they heard the front door open.

"We're back", They heard Winfred say.

Soon he and Wocky came into the kitchen.

"How was work, Winnie?" Plum asked as she kissed her husband on the cheek.

"Fine, dear", He answered, "We had a bigger crowd come in today than usual..."

Wocky walked over to Pearl and put his arms around her saying, "Did ya miss me, my Lil' Angel?"

Pearl giggled and said, "Yes, very much so..."

"How'd the appointment go? Lil' G doin' awright?"

"Yes, he's fine. Though the doctor couldn't determine his gender, because he had his back turned on the ultrasound."

"Guess he didn't want ya to see his 'junk'."

"Maybe next time he'll show us, so we'll know for sure what he is."

He then sat down in an open chair next to her and fixed himself a plate.

"Noodles _again_?"

"Yes, honey", His mother said, "This is what Pearl wanted."

Pearl smiled as she chomped down on her bowl.

"Reminds me of when you wanted nothing but onigiri", Winfred said as he got a bowl, "I got so sick of eating them it drove me crazy!"

"Oh, Winnie..."

Suddenly the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it", Plum said as she got up.

When she left, Winfred asked, "How was the appointment today, Pearl?"

"Fine, Father", She answered, "The baby is doing fine, the doctor says. I'm at the end of the first trimester, she also said."

"Wow, time sure does fly."

"I know."

"When did she say he was gonna be born?" Wocky asked.

"July thirty first", Pearl responded, "Didn't you write it down?"

"N-No..."

"Wocky..."

Soon Plum came back and said, "We have a guest..."

Coming in behind her was Trucy, carrying a box.

"Hello, Pearl~", She said cheerfully as she hugged her.

"How are you, Trucy?" Pearl asked as she offered an empty seat next to her.

"I'm fine!"

She then looked at Pearl's belly and said, "You're starting to show a little bit!"

Pearl looked down and said, "I know... My clothes are starting to feel a little tight on me..."

"Don't worry about that", Plum said, "I have some of my old maternity clothes in my closet that you can wear."

"Thank you, Mother."

"What's the box for, Shorty?" Wocky asked.

"It's a present, silly!" Trucy answered, "I know your baby shower isn't for a long time, but I couldn't wait to give this to you!"

Pearl took the box from her and shook it lightly.

"What is it?"

"Open it and find out."

She began to take the wrapping off of the box, then opening it and pulling out tissue paper.

She then took out a rabbit plush doll.

"Aww", Pearl said, "It's your Mr. Bunnykins. Why are you giving him to me?"

"I want your Little Fox Cub to have him", Trucy said, "I don't need him anymore! I'm nineteen now, so I'm too big for him!"

"I see", Pearl said, "But Wocky's going to be twenty three this year, and he still has his-"

Wocky cut him off and said, "I gave 'em to Lil' G!"

"But you were sure reluctant to give up _Foxy-chan_."

He turned red and said, "Gramma made him for me when I was lil'! He was special!"

Trucy giggled and said, "I _knew _you were nothing but a giant teddy bear~"

She then hugged him as he turned even redder.

"Cut it out, Shorty! I'm a gangsta, not a... _Teddy bear_..."

"You're not a gangster", Trucy said, "Gangsters are big and scary and like to hurt people!"

She then turned to Pearl and said, "Am I right?"

"Yes", Pearl answered as she joined in on the hugging, "He may say he's a 'gangsta', but to me he's my warm, cuddly little Fox Prince."

Wocky laughed nervously as these girls were snuggling him.

"Isn't that cute?" Plum said.

"Mooom, make 'em stooooop..."

"Alright, I think he's had enough, dears."

They let go of him and giggled.

"_Anyways_", Wocky said as he tried to regain his composure, "That's a real nice gift for Lil' G, Shorty. I think he'll like it."

Trucy then looked at Pearl's belly and said, "Would you like to have Mr. Bunnykins when you come out of there? He says he wants to be friends with you and 'Foxy-chan'!"

"..."

She turned back to Wocky and said, "Did he say anything?"

"He said 'If it's from Auntie Trucy it must be good!'"

Trucy giggled and said, "That's good!"

She then sighed and said, "Ooooh, I can't wait to see you hold him in your arms, Pearl~ I keep dreaming about me, Daddy, Polly and everybody coming up to see you at the hospital with him!"

Wocky flinched as memories of his nightmares came flooding back.

"What's wrong?" Pearl asked as she saw him looking uncomfortable.

"N-Nothin'", He said quickly.

"Are you still worried about seeing me go through labor?"

"... Kinda... Yeah..."

Pearl sighed, almost getting annoyed by having to constantly reassure him that everything will be fine.

"Wocky, we already talked about this. The doctor said everything will be fine, so you don't have to worry."

"You're not scared, Pearl?" Trucy asked, "Daddy told me having a baby is painful. Aren't you worried about that?"

"No", Pearl answered, "Because I know I'm not going through this alone. I'll have my family and friends with me the whole way through, and an excellent doctor as well..."

"... And besides, they give you pain medicine, so I don't have to worry about that."

Plum and Winfred chuckled.

"I'm glad you're so brave through all this", Trucy said, "If it were me, I'd be really scared!"

"It isn't easy", Pearl said.

Soon Plum offered Trucy a bowl of noodles and said, "Would you care for some lunch, since you're our guest?"

"Oh, yes, thank you, Little Plum", She said as she took it.

Everyone continued to eat silently for the next few minutes.

"Pearl?" Trucy asked.

"Yes?" Pearl answered.

"What do you think 'Lil G' will be like? I keep imagining him being like Wocky, except littler, obviously..."

"Me too", Wocky said, "But his vibes are changin' a lil' bit."

"How?"

"He's startin' to be like Pearl. Y'know, all quiet-like an' stuff... An' polite-like too."

"Based on what you hear him 'say'?"

"Yeah. He still talks like me, but has her manner o' speakin' too."

"Aww, that's so cute~ I bet he'll end up being like both of you!"

"Yeah, looks like it..."

"Oh, and Daddy says the ultrasound you sent was really nice. He says he looks like Wocky to him already!"

Pearl giggled and said, "Is that so? Well, let's see if he'll be right."

"Oh!" Trucy said as she got up, "That reminds me! Daddy said not to be gone too long, and I've been here for over an hour! Ooh, I hope he doesn't get mad at me!"

She then left the room and headed out the door.

"Bye, Wocky, bye Pearl, bye Little Plum, bye Big Wins!" Trucy shouted in the foyer before she left.

Plum laughed and said, "She was sure in a hurry! Her father must have her on a strict curfew!"

"I'll say", Pearl said as she helped everyone clean up the table.

"That was nice of her to give you her stuffed animal for the baby", Winfred said, "Now he'll have two of them for his collection; One from his 'Auntie Trucy' and one from his 'Papa'."

"Yeah", Wocky said, "That's real cool..."

"Wocky", Plum said, "Why are you so down in the dumps? You should be happy Pearl is doing so well with her pregnancy."

"I dunno", Her son answered, "I jus'... I really don't wanna be a dad anymore."

Pearl looked at him angrily and said, "And why not?! _You _were the one who created this baby, and-"

"Honey", Plum said as she put her hand on Pearl's shoulder, "He's still in shock. Don't worry, he'll get out of it. Winnie did... Didn't you, sweetie?"

"Yes, dear", Winfred said, "He's just havin' doubts and worries, it's normal, we all go through this."

They then turned to Wocky, who was pacing around nervously.

"Son", His father said, "Sit down and try to relax..."

"Pops", He said, "I... I can't do this..."

Pearl wanted to yell at her husband again, but Plum stopped her.

Winfred sat down next to his only son and put his arm around him.

"Son", He said, "I know there's a _huge _responsibility in store for you with this kid and all, but you should never say you can't do it."

"But I _can't_, Pops! I ain't no good with kids! Every time I go to the park, an' I see the gurls with babies an' I look at 'em, they start cryin' their eyes out!"

Winfred shook his head and said, "It won't be like that with your own baby, y'know. He'll trust you... Jus' like you trusted me..."

Aww, cut it out, Pops..."

"Wocky, jus' listen to me, will ya? You _can _do it... Jus' look at me! I said the same stuff too... And yes, it did take me a while to get used to you, but once I did I was fine. You gotta stand up for this kid son... You're the only father he's got... Jus' like I'm the only father you got..."

"... What if I do somethin' clumsy an' hurt 'em?"

"Trust me, you won't. When your fatherly instincts kick in, _boy, _you'll check on 'em every five seconds! You won't want 'em outta your sight!"

Winfred looked at his son in the eyes and said, "Trust me, son, you can't have a negative attitude towards this... You gotta be positive, like Pearl's doin'."

"... Yer right, Pops! I gotta stop bein' such a puss! That kid needs me!"

"That's the spirit, son! Now're ya gonna man up and at least _try _to be a good father?"

"You bet I am!"

Wocky then got up, completely psyched out and began to 'air box.'

Pearl giggled and said, "He sure feels better!"

Plum went up to her husband and kissed him.

"Thank you for doing that for him", She said, "He really needed that. Look how happy he is now."

They turned to look at their son, still punching the air in a boxing stance.

Winfred chuckled and said, "I'll say. I just hope he doesn't-"

Wocky accidentally punched the cabinet nearby and a vase fell off of it and broke.

He stopped dead and looked at his parents.

"_Uh oh..."_

"Wocky!" His mother yelled, "That was my favorite vase! Your father bought me that vase when we were dating!"

"Mom, I'm sorry-"

She then started to tug on his ear, making her son whine in pain.

Winfred and Pearl looked at them and sighed.

* * *

_**Reviews are nice. Flames are not.**_

_**Aww, lots of parent fluffiness here. **_

_**Wocky's anxiety is starting to really show now I see.**_

_**Mr. Bunnykins and Foxy-chan will make good friends for 'Lil' G' I know it :D**_

_**Weeks along- 12**_

_**Next chapter coming soon!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**In this chapter, we look at how Wocky seems to have eased up a bit, but an argument flares up and causes some problems...**_

* * *

Wocky was fast asleep, no longer having his nightmares that he had before.

Instead, he dreamt of protecting his little son from the Rivales and generally spending time with him, until...

"Wocky!" He heard Pearl's voice say urgently as she shook him awake.

He snapped his eyes open and jolted out of the bed saying, "Oh gawd he's comin'!" And frantically packed some suitcases.

"No, no", Pearl said with a giggle, "I was just going to tell you that he kicked."

Wocky calmed down a bit and said, "O-Oh... He _kicked_?"

He then laughed nervously and got back in bed.

"Has he kicked ya before?"

"This is the second time he's done it. The first time was yesterday before I went to Mrs. Zoobay's."

"Oh."

He then looked at her belly and said, "Yer gettin' big, gurl..."

Pearl was indeed showing now. She had begun to wear maternity clothes about a few weeks ago.

"Well, of course", Pearl responded, "Being pregnant for four months will do that..."

"Four months already? Dayum, gurl, time's flyin'..."

"I know."

"..."

"Hey, Pea?"

"Yes, Wocky?"

"Can I fell yer belly? I wanna see how hard Lil' G kicks."

"U-Um, alright..."

He then pressed on her stomach gently and upon contact he felt the baby kick slightly.

"Aww, yeah", He said, "Good kick, son!"

Pearl giggled again.

"Does it hurt when he does that?"

"Oh, no. But I tickles, though."

"Oh."

Pearl then got out of bed and started to grab her clothes.

"I've been feeling much better", She said as she put her clothes on, "I haven't been feeling as tired, and that awful morning sickness is gone..."

"That's good", He said as he himself was putting on clothes, "Too bad the doc still couldn't find out if Lil' G is really a G..."

"It's OK. Let's just think of it as a surprise."

"I hope it ain't somethin' _too _surprisin'..."

"Oh, well we already know I'm not having twins, so we'll either have a boy or a girl."

Wocky looked at her and then looked away sighing.

"Wocky..."

"What?"

"You really want a son, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"But what if we don't have a son? What if we have a daughter? Would you try to disown her?"

He looked at her bewildered and said, "Why would ya think _that_?!"

"Because you keep saying you want a son, and I feel like if we had a daughter instead, you wouldn't love her..."

"Yeah I would! I would love 'er jus' as much as I would love a son!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"... I think you're just saying that to make me feel better."

"What?! No I ain't! I'm bein' serious!"

"You don't want me to have a girl and that's all there is to it, Wocky!"

"Pearl, would ya jus' stop it?! I'm not gonna disown the kid if it's a girl, awright?!"

"... Get out, Wocky... J-Just leave me alone, alright?"

Wocky went up to her and tried to hold her, but she just pushed away.

"Didn't you hear me?! GET OUT!"

He then left the room and shut the door, feeling at a loss and stuck in a hole he couldn't get out of.

**

When Wocky got down the stairs, he saw his mother standing there with a worried look on her face.

"I heard Pearl yelling", She said, "Is everything alright?"

"... I don't think Pearl loves me anymore", He said, "... She told be to leave her alone."

"Why did she say that sweetie?"

"We... We kinda got in an argument."

"Oh dear... About the baby, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah... She thinks if she has a girl, then I'll disown her. I told her that I wouldn't, and she jus' said I was only sayin' what she wanted to hear."

Plum hugged her son and said, "Oh, sweetie, it's alright. She just needs some time to gather her thoughts..."

"... Y-You're right", Wocky said, "I-I'll jus' leave 'er alone for a while..."

His mother took his hand and said, "Let's go have some breakfast. I'll make Pearl a plate and take it up to her."

**

Pearl was sitting in her room, crying silently, her mind reeling of thoughts about the birth of their child.

**

"_Congratulations, ma'am, you have a healthy baby girl."  
_

"_WHAT?! LIL' G IS A GURL?!"_

"Wocky..."

"This is a fuggin' disgrace, man! I thought I was gonna get a son, but all this time, THIS is what I was gonna get?!"

_**_

She cried even harder, almost so that she could hardly breathe.

"_This is awful", _She thought, _"This whole ordeal has been nothing but stress and chaos on all of us! I feel completely at a loss now..."_

She suddenly heard the door open as Plum walked in with her plate.

"Here's your breakfa-"

She saw Pearl in a fit of tears.

Her mother-in-law put the plate down on the dresser and said, "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"Wocky is going to be a horrible father to our baby, I know it!" She yelled, "All he wants is a son! It's always 'Lil' G' this, 'Lil' G' that, and I'm sick of it! I wish he would get it through his head that we may not have a son!"

Plum hugged Pearl and said, "Honey, you shouldn't say things like that. When I saw him downstairs, he looked _very _hurt by the things you said."

"... R-Really?"

"Yes... And he even told me he thought you didn't love him anymore..."

Pearl looked at her in disbelief.

"What? He said that?"

"I'm afraid so..."

_"... What have I done...? I've just hurt someone that I love..."_

"M-Mother?" Pearl asked, still in tears, "I-Is he OK?"

"He's a bit shaken up", Plum answered, "After he ate, he just got up and left. I think he said he was going to People Park..."

Pearl then got up and said, "I'm going to look for him.... I need to apologize for what I said."

She then walked out the door.

"What about your breakfast, dear?"

"Just wrap it up. I'll eat it when I get back."

Plum picked up the plate and smiled.

"_Oh, that girl is something else."_

**

Wocky was sitting on a bench at the park, his hands in his lap and looking down at the ground.

"_I don't think I can take much more o' this", _He thought, _"It's startin' to become real hard... An' when that kid comes it's gonna be even harder..."_

"Wocky-"

As he heard his name being called, he perked his head up and looked around for where the voice was coming from.

He saw a blur walking down the path, but he couldn't tell who it was.

The voice called his name again.

As the figure got closer, he started to recognize who's voice it was.

"_Pearl... Why's she lookin' for me? I thought she wanted me to leave 'er alone..."  
_

Pearl finally spotted Wocky and saw him hanging his head.

"_I wish I never yelled at him", _She thought, _"I didn't know I upset him this much..."  
_

She sat down next to him and said, "I've been looking all over for you!"

"What're ya doin' here? I thought ya wanted me to leave ya alone."

As he looked at her, she noticed that he'd been crying by the way his eyes looked.

"Wocky", She said as she felt tears coming, "... You've been crying..."

Wocky wiped his face and said, "Nuh uh, I ain't been cryin'!"

"Yes you have. I can tell because your eyes are red and puffy."

He looked away from her and grunted.

"... I'm sorry I yelled at you", Pearl said, "I was being completely unreasonable."

"Naw, gurl", Wocky said, "_I'm _the one who should be sorry. I was stupid for bein' obsessed ova havin' a son. An' what I said 'bout you possibly havin' a gurl... I wasn't talkin' outta my ass 'bout that; I was bein' serious... An' I _ain't _sayin' what ya wanna hear, eitha. This is comin' from my heart..."

He then pointed to his chest.

"I ain't neva been so serious 'bout anythin' in my whole life. I swear to gawd I won't go ape-shit on ya if Lil' G turns out to be a gurl. You can count on that. I'll love 'er jus' like I would love 'er if she was a boy."

Tears were streaming down Pearl's face at this point. She had never heard Wocky say anything that serious or heartfelt in all the three years they'd been together.

"But if we had a girl", She said, "We couldn't call her 'Lil' G'..."

"I know", He said, "But I thought o' somethin' I could call 'er..."

"What?"

"It sounds kinda cheesy, but... 'Lil' Princess'."

"Aww", Pearl said as she hugged Wocky, "That's so sweet..."

She now realized that he really was being serious.

"Would you still feel disappointed about not having a son?"

"Naw", Wocky said, "'Cause we could always have anotha kid."

She smiled and kissed him.

"So", Pearl asked, "What will you call the baby now? Will you still call him 'Lil' G'?"

"Yeah", Wocky answered, "Until I find out he's a gurl, then I'll call 'em 'Lil' Princess'."

They sat silent for a few moments.

"Pearl?"

"Yes, Wocky?"

"Are ya still mad at me?"

Pearl giggled and said, "Of course not! I can't stay mad at you forever!"

She continued to hug her 'special someone', as he hugged her back.

"Aww, gurl", He responded.

They then got up and started walking hand and hand out of the park.

"We're in this together, Wocky", Pearl said, "I'll stand by you, and you'll stand by me."

"An' I always will", Wocky said, "I won't let ya down, I promise."

**

Later that day, things seemed to have calmed down a bit as everyone was eating lunch.

"You two make up?" Winfred asked Wocky, "Your mother said you had a nasty fight this morning."

"Sure did", His son answered, "'Pologized to her an' everythin'."

He then turned to Pearl and said, "Right, my Lil' Angel?"

She smiled and said, "Of course, my little Fox Prince."

"Awww", Plum said, "Isn't that sweet? I just _knew _they couldn't stay mad at each other for long!"

"'Course I can't", Her son said, "I love 'er an' I care 'bout her..."

He then patted her belly and said, "An' she got Lil' G' in there... Ain't that right, lil' guy?"

_"... Uh huh..."_

"Don't be so shy, lil' dude! I'm yer dad, so yer totally safe with me!"

"_... OK, Papa..."_

"It's so cute how he calls you 'Papa'", Pearl said.

She then turned to Winfred and said, "Did Wocky ever call you 'Papa'?"

"Nope", He answered, "He's always called me 'Pops'."

"Oh."

"I neva called 'em 'Papa'", Wocky said, "'Cause I thought it sounded too gur-"

Suddenly he felt as if he was hit by a brick.

"... ly."

"What's wrong?" Plum asked.

"I... I think I jus' realized somethin'..."

"What?"

Wocky then turned to Pearl's belly and said, "... Lil' G?"

"_... Y-Yeah, Papa?"_

"C-Can I ask ya somethin'?"

"_I-I guess..."_

"All those times when ya turned yer back when the doc tried to find yer... Uh... _Junk_..."

"_Y-Yeah?"_

"... Why'd ya do it?"

"_U-Umm... I dunno..."_

"C'mon, jus' tell me."

_"I... Remember when you told me what a boy is 'supposed to have'?"  
_

"U-Um... Y-Yeah..."

Pearl, Plum and Winfred looked on at this scene in wonder.

"_W-Well..."_

"What, Lil' G?"

"_I-I... I don't think I have it."_

Wocky's eyes went wide as he said, "What?! Whadda ya talkin' 'bout?!"

"_I-I mean... That thing you said I was supposed to have between my-"_

"Woah, lil' buddy, I know what yer talkin' 'bout."

"_W-Well, I... Have something different, and I didn't want anyone to see it..."_

Everyone sat silent for a moment, until Wocky spoke again.

"Um... Lil' G?"

"_Yeah, Papa?"_

"... Yer... Not a G."

"_Huh?"_

"You got different parts down their son-er, I mean... _Sweetie._"

"_Y-You mean... I'm not what you said I was? A 'boy'?"_

"I'm 'friad not. Yer a _Gurl_."

Everyone gasped at this.

"So 'Lil' G' _is _a girl?!" Pearl said, "I knew it!"

"... I feel so dumb now", Wocky continued, "... The reason 'Lil' G' didn't wanna be gangsta like me an' started actin' like Pearl... Was 'cause he was a gurl all 'long..."

"_... I heard Mamma said you didn't want me to be a 'gurl'..."_

"Naw, naw, it's cool now... But I gotta call ya Lil' Princess now."

"_... Lil' Princess?"_

"Yep! An' I can't wait to see if ya live up to the name!"

"_Tee hee! Thanks, Papa. I can't wait to see you either... I wanna know watcha look like, an' Mamma too..."_

"Man, even though yer a gurl, ya still got my manner o' speakin'?"

_"Really, Papa? Ya think so?"_

"Yep! Yer gonna be the toughest chick on the street someday, I jus' know it!"

"_When I get bigger, I want ya to teach me some o' them 'kung fu' moves! They sound cool!"_

"Awright, I will!"

* * *

_**Reviews are nice, flames are not.**_

_**Sorry for the abrupt ending to this chapter, I was starting to get writer's block again.**_

_**So, I guess 'Lil' G' really was a girl all along, I see...**_

_**Weeks along- 16**_

_**Stay tuned for the next chapter.**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Welcome to Chapter 10! Here we still see Wocky and Pearl preparing themselves for parenthood. Let's see what happens...**_

* * *

It was April, and springtime was in full bloom now. People Park looked absolutely beautiful at this time of the year, and this is the time when most people came to visit it.

Wocky and Pearl were visiting here today, having a picnic or sorts, discussing their appointment with Mrs. Zoobay that they had had today.

"So Lil' G- I mean... Lil' _Princess_, won't kiddin'!" Wocky said, "The doc finally got to see, and she said that he _was_ a she!"

Pearl giggled and said, "I had a feeling it was going to be a girl all along."

"Huh?" Wocky asked as he tilted his head, "Why?"

"I could just tell! It became even clearer when you said she was starting to talk like me."

"Yeah, but I was too dumb not to notice. I guess havin' a gurl won't be _that _bad, I guess... But I ain't neva took care o' one before..."

"I see", Pearl said, "Well... Do you know anyone who has a baby girl?"

"Um, why you ask?"

"Maybe you could babysit them, just to get used to being around them."

"W-Well, I remembah Dino tellin' me his sister had a baby recenty..."

"That's a good start", Pearl said, "How about we give him a call when we get home?"

"I dunno... He probly won't want me to babysit his niece, since he's got Natsumi and all..."

"I'm sure he'd understand, and his sister, too."

"Oh, awright..."

She then patted him on the back and said, "I think he'll trust you. You _are_ his best friend and all."

"Yer right", He said, "But I dunno if his sister will..."

"Have you met her?"

"Yeah, I've met 'er a few times. She's awright, I guess..."

"Oh."

They then started to clean up their area and began to head back to the mansion.

**

When they got back Pearl went to the phone and called Dino.

"Are ya sure this is a good idea?" Wocky asked.

"Shh, it's ringing", She answered.

Soon someone picked up.

_"Yo."_

"Hello, Dino. How are you?"

_"O-Oh! Lil' Pearly? I-I'm fine. What, ya wanna talk to Nat?"_

"No... I just wanted to ask if you would let Wocky and I babysit your niece."

_"W-Wow! Talk 'bout good timin'... Shh, shh, it's aiite..."  
_

"Do you have her right now?"

_"Yeah. My big sis Isabella wanted me to look afta 'er while she went out with 'er husband..."_

"I see... Well, would you like us to take over for you?"

_"That would be real nice... Gloria's startin' to drive me crazy..."  
_

"Where's Natsumi? Isn't she helping you?"

_"She's gone to Kurain to visit 'er folks..."_

"Oh... So will you let us keep her? Just for a day?"

_"... Aww, aiite... I'll bring 'er ova in a minute, an' I tell 'Bella she's stayin' with you for the day."_

"Thank you, Dino..."

_"Y-Yeah, yeah, it ain't no problem... But... Why do y'all wanna look afta Gloria for? Practicin' for yer own kid?"_

"Yes, but this is mostly for Wocky. We're having a girl, and-"

_"What?! So Lil' G's not a G? Dayum... Is he pissed off?"_

"Oh, no... He was kind of dissapointed at first, but he's fine with it now. He says he wants to get used to being around a female child."

_"Aww, dat's real cute... Well, I'm comin' right now so hang tight, aiite?"_

"Alright. Goodbye."

When Pearl hung up Wocky said, "What'd he say?"

"He's bringing her over right now."

"WHAT?! _NOW_?!"

"Yes..."

He then sat down on the couch nervously and tapped his foot.

"It's OK", Pearl said as she sat down with him and put her arms around him, "This is going to prepare you for our baby..."

"I know, but it ain't my kid, an' if I screw somethin' up Dino's gonna pop a cap in my ass..."

Suddenly they heard Plum walk into the room humming a tune while she was dusting.

"Mother?" Pearl said to her.

"Hm?" She responded.

"Dino's bringing his baby niece over to let us babysit her."

"Oh, is that so? Practice for the real thing?"

"Yes. I want Wocky to feel comfortable around babies, so..."

"Aww! You know, the last time we had a baby in the family, Wocky was only fourteen, and whenever Vitalia asked him if he wanted to hold Donnie he would always say: 'Naw, man! Babies are _so_ gross, man... They drool an' pee and an' stuff on ya!'"

"Of course he doesn't think like that now, do you?" Pearl asked.

"N-Naw", Wocky answered.

"Well, I'm sure you'll do fine! I'll be here if you need anything!"

Plum then headed to her husband's office to tidy it up some.

Wocky sighed and put his head in his hands.

"It's alright", Pearl said again, trying to calm him down, "Everything will be fine trust-"

The doorbell rang.

"Oh, my", Pearl said as she got up to answer the door, "He got here fast."

When she opened the door she saw Dino standing there holding a baby carrier with his niece sleeping inside it, and all of her stuff in a baby bag slinged on his shoulder.

"Shh", He said as he walked in quietly, "She's sleepin'."

"O-Oh", Pearl said as she lowered her tone.

He handed the carrier over to Pearl and put down the bag next to the couch, and then pulled out a list from his pocket.

"'Bella made me a list of stuff Gloria needs", He said as he gave it to Pearl, "So don't forget none o' it, aiite?"

"A-Alright", Pearl answered as she sat the carrier down on the other couch across from where Wocky was sitting.

"Well, I'm off", Dino said as he headed out the door, "Call me if ya need anythin', aiite? I'm goin' to go hang out with the guys, so I'll have my cell on me. I wrote it down there."

"Goodbye", Pearl said as he headed out the door.

She then went over to little Gloria and looked at her.

She was a small baby that looked to be about a few weeks old, with a little bit of black hair on her head, wearing a little light purple outfit.

"Aww, Wocky, come here and look at her", Pearl said, "She's so cute..."

He didn't move.

"Wocky..."

She suddenly saw the baby's eyes open, revealing them to be dark brown like her uncle's.

"Hello, little one", Pearl said lightly, "How are you?"

Gloria looked at her cutely and flailed slightly.

"Awww..."

She picked her up out her carrier and held her close to her, then walked towards Wocky and sat next to him.

"Say 'hello', Wocky", She said as Gloria looked right up at him.

"Yo", He said to her.

The baby then started to cry.

Wocky swore under his breath and walked out of the room.

"Oh, dear", Pearl said as she tried to comfort Gloria, "Shhhh... It's alright, sweetie..."

Plum came into the room and said, "What's going on? Oooh, my, the little darling's here already?"

"Yes", Her daughter-in-law answered as she continued to soothe Dino's niece, "Dino dropped her off a few minutes ago. She started crying when she saw Wocky..."

"Oh, dear... Where _is _Wocky, anyway?"

"I think he went into our room..."

"I'll take her while you go talk to him."

Plum then took Gloria from her arms as Pearl walked to her room to talk to Wocky.

**

When she got there and opened the door, she saw Wocky lying on the bed with his face in the pillow.

She walked in and sat on the bed with him.

"Wocky", She asked gently as she rubbed his back, "Are you alright?"

"... How'm I gonna be a good father when everytime I get near a baby, they cry?" Wocky said with his voice muffled by the pillow.

"Wocky", Pearl said again, "It's because they sense your fear."

Wocky sat up and said, "What? N-Naw, I ain't scared o' no lil' babies!"

"Gloria started crying because she sensed that you were afraid... I could tell..."

"... I-I... I got nervous, OK? I ain't used to bein' 'round kids that lil'! With a elementary school kid or whateva it's cool, but with a lil' baby like that... I don't know how to act 'round 'em!"

"You have to be gentle with them... Like what I was doing..."

"I don't know how to be gentle!"

"Sure you do! You are with me, aren't you?"

Wocky blushed and scratched the back of his neck.

"Y-Yeah, I guess so..."

"So let's go back in there and try again, alright?"

"... Awright, awright, I'll be more careful..."

**

As they walked back into the living room, Plum was still sitting with Gloria, who had finally calmed down.

Wocky and Pearl sat next to her and looked at the baby in her arms.

"Give her to Wocky, Mother", Pearl said, "He needs to learn how to be gentle... For our own baby's sake..."

"Yes, yes, I understand", Plum answered as she slowly handed Gloria off to her son.

_"Oh, gawd, please don't cry again", _He thought as he reluctantly took the baby in his arms.

Wocky looked at her for a second to see if she would start crying again, but she didn't.

She just looked up at him cutely, as if she was expecting something from him.

"H-Hey", He said in the most gentle voice he could, "I-I ain't scary, see? I didn't mean to make ya cry..."

Gloria continued to look at him for a few seconds, then reached out her little hand and clutched Wocky's jacket, snuggling closer to him.

"Aww, see?" Pearl said as she looked at the scene, "She feels safe with you now."

"I-I guess", Wocky responded, feeling slightly uncomfortable still.

He looked down at the baby, who was still looking at him.

"You cool with me now?" He asked her.

Gloria responded by making a small chirping noise while batting at his orange curl like a kitten.

Plum laughed heartily and said, "Looks like she really likes you now, sweetie!"

Pearl looked at him worriedly, thinking he'd be irritated by the baby playing with his hair.

Wocky just gently moved her hand away and said, "Awright, don't mess with the hair..."

Gloria was getting ready to cry again.

"No no no no no no, d-don't cry", Wocky said nervously.

He then out of instinct started rocking her gently, and the baby snuggled into him again and sighed.

"Aww", Plum said, "I just _knew _you had a nurturing side, Wocky..."

If Wocky wasn't holding a baby right now, he would've snapped at her.

"I'm jus' tryin' to get 'er to calm down", He said, "Didn't know babies were so..._Clingy_..."

"They're like that because they need someone to protect them and take care of them", Pearl said.

"But why is Gloria actin' like this 'round me?" Wocky asked as she was sleeping in his arms, "It's like she thinks I'm her dad..."

"Oh", Plum said, "You're even more like your father than I thought..."

"Moooom..."

Gloria opened her eyes again and looked at Wocky.

"What?" He asked, "I ain't yer dad, y'know, so don't get too cozy with me..."

Pearl then pulled out a bottle and some baby formula from the bag Dino left and headed to the kitchen.

"I think it's time to feed Gloria", She said as she left the room, "She might be hungry."

"A-Awright, I guess", Wocky said as he looked ta the baby, who blinked at him and cooed.

**

When she came back into the room, Pearl sat the bottle down on the table and took Gloria from Wocky.

Pearl then sat down next to him and said, "I'm going to show you how to feed her."

"Pay attention, sweetie", Plum giggled.

Wocky just sighed and watched Pearl.

"You just hold the bottle like this", She continued. "And she'll just take it."

As Pearl introduced the bottle to Gloria she took it and started sucking it.

She then handed her off to Wocky again and said, "You try now."

He took the bottle from her and imitated what Pearl did before.

"Like this?" He asked as he held the bottle close to the baby's face.

"Yes, that's right", Pearl answered.

The baby immediately took the bottle.

"Woah", Wocky said, "Yer real hungry, ain't ya?"

"Are you starting to feel more comfortable now?" Plum asked.

"Yeah", Her son answered, "But what if our kid's different from Gloria?"

"Wocky", Pearl said, "This was just to show you the basics of childcare."

"I know that, Pea..."

"I think you're doing pretty well", Plum added, "By the time my little granddaughter comes, this will definately be of good use."

"Of course", Pearl said as they watched Wocky.

They giggled, not being used to seeing him so gentle and nurturing, since he's usually far from that.

"Did Dino tell ya when she's comin' to get 'er?" Wocky asked.

"He said he was coming tonight", Pearl answered.

"Oh."

He looked back down at Gloria and said, "I wonder what our kid's gonna look like? Here, I can kinda see Dino in 'er... She's got his hair an' eyes..."

"Well, it _is _his niece, sweetie", Plum said, "It's possible for you to look like a realtive other than your mother or father..."

"I jus' hope Lil' G- Uh, Lil' Princess- won't come out lookin' ugly..."

"Wocky!" Pearl said, "That's not a very nice thing to say!"

"I'm jus' worried 'bout 'er, awright?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine", Plum added, "I think she'll be a _beautiful _little girl, considering how lovely the Fey women are..."

Pearl then looked at the photos she had of Mia, Maya and herself on the shelf nearby.

"T-Thank you", She said as she turned red, "The women in your family are beautiful too..."

"Oh!", Plum said, also blushing, "M-My, you're making me blush, dearie...!"

Wocky looked at them blankfaced as he noticed the baby had enough to eat and put the bottle down on the table next to him.

Pearl then looked back at Wocky and said, "The baby will be lovely, I promise you..."

"I hope she looks like you, Pearl", Wocky said as he put Gloria back in her carrier, "It'd be weird if a gurl came out lookin' like me..."

Plum laughed again and said, "Nonsense! You're a very handsome young man!"

"Moooooom..."

"But you _are_, sweetie!"

Wocky groaned and slouched on the couch.

* * *

_**Reviews are nice. Flames are not.**_

_**Phew, finally got this one done! **_

_**I know it was random for them to babysit Dino's niece, but the idea just came out of nowhere.**_

_**Next chapter coming soon!**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**The family continues to anticipate the arrival of their newest member, and Phoenix, Trucy, Apollo and Maya find out about 'Lil' G's' true identity.**_

* * *

Later that evening at dinner, Winfred, Plum, Wocky and Pearl were at the table eating, while they had Gloria in her carrier sleeping in the other room.

"Man", Wocky said, "Takin' care of a baby is hard work."

"Of course it is, dear", Plum said, "They need your undivided attention."

"I can't imagine what's it's gonna be like with ours."

"It'll be even tougher", Winfred said, "So just hang in there, son."

"Yeah, I know."

"I'm kinda surprised you're having a girl. Didn't think you would, to be honest. The family's been nothin' but men for the past five generations... And now, we're gonna have a break in that tradition."

"Yeah, it is kinda crazy, Pops. The one kinda shitty thing is that she can't be the head of the family..."

"That's true, son, but you could always have another child."

"I know, but not for a while. This's been too much on me..."

"Wocky", Pearl said as she put her arms around him.

"What, Pea?" Wocky asked.

"You did very well with Gloria today, and I think you'll do just as well with our own baby..."

"I hope so. I just hope ours don't cry when she first sees me..."

"Oh!" Plum interjected, "That reminds me... We haven't told anyone about 'Lil' G' being a girl yet, have we?"

"No", Pearl said, "I'll call my family later"

"Alright, then, and I'll call ours as well."

They then suddenly started to hear a loud wail.

"Oh, no", Pearl said as she got up, "Better go check on Gloria..."

Wocky made her sit back down and said, "No, I'll go. I gotta learn how to deal with this..."

She smiled as she saw him walk out.

**

When Wocky went back into the living room, he saw Gloria crying loudly in her carrier.

He sat next to her on the couch and attemped to comfort her.

"What's the matta, lil' gurl?" as he picked her up, "Why you cryin'?"

The baby put her chin on his shoulder as her crying eased a little bit.

Wocky leaned his head on hers gently and rubbed her back.

"It's awright", He said, "I know you ain't my kid, but yer showin' me how to take care o' mine... She's comin' in July..."

Gloria murmured in response.

"Maybe I'll let 'er meet ya, an' y'all can be friends..."

During all this, Wocky had no idea that his parents and wife were watching in the doorway of the living room.

"Isn't that sweet, Winnie?" Plum whispered to her husband, "It's becoming more and more apparent that he'll be a good father..."

"Yeah", He responded, "That was a really good idea to let him babysit Dino's little niece."

Pearl just looked at Wocky and smiled.

She did indeed have her doubts about Wocky being a good and responsible father, but seeing this moment now made her beleive that he was capable.

Wocky continued to hold the baby close to him as she slept, her head laying on his shoulder.

Suddenly the doorbell rang, and Winfred went to answer it.

"Hey, Big Wins", Dino said as he was standing in the doorway, "I'm comin' to take Gloria ho-"

He looked into the house to see Wocky holding his niece as if she was his child.

"Come in, then", Winfred said as he let his son's friend into the house.

Dino went up to Wocky and said, "Aiite, man, time to give 'er up."

Wocky looked up at him and said, "I know, I know... Here, Gloria, I'm givin' ya back to yer uncle now..."

He handed her off back to him and he put her in her carrier and gathered her belongings.

"G'night", Dino said as he walked out, "Thanks for takin' care of 'er. 'Bella says thanks too."

And with that, he was gone.

Winfred went up to his son and said, "Good job, son. You did good today. Didn't think you could do it, but you did."

Plum and Pearl joined them and sat down.

"Oh, sweetie", His mother said, "That was so lovely... You were so sweet to that little girl..."

Wocky blushed and said, "I-I had to, Mom. She's only lil'..."

Pearl put her arms around him and said, "Oh, Wocky... I-I'm afraid to say, this but..."

"What?"

"I... I actually doubted about your abilities as a good father..."

"What?! Why?!"

Plum looked at her daughter-in-law sadly and said, "Why on earth did you think that?"

"Because... Because of his personality... How rough and obnoxious he is..."

Wocky looked at her and said, "Pea... W-Why...? Afta all this time of you sayin' you thought I was gonna be a good dad..."

"I was worried", Pearl continued, "I was afraid that you weren't ready to be a father... That when we had our baby... You would shut down and not know what to do..."

Wocky looked down and sighed.

"But after seeing you with Gloria, it eased my fears...I'd never seen you act so gentle in all the time I've known you."

"Like I said", Wocky said as he looked at Pearl again, "I had to. She's a _baby_, y'know..."

"And it was sweet how you said you wanted Gloria to be friends with our daughter."

"Y-Yeah. I figured they could hang out an' stuff, so she won't be lonely."

"Aww..."

They sat silent for a few moments, until Plum chimed in.

"Have you decided what to name the little darling?"

Wocky and Pearl looked at each other and then back at her.

"Actually, no", Pearl said, "Since we didn't know the gender of the baby for so long, we really couldn't pick a name just yet... But I guess we could now."

"How about Viola?" Winfred said, "That was my grandmother's name."

"Naw", Wocky said, "It's gotta be somethin' cool, Pops! More hip with the times, know what I'm sayin'?"

"How about Naomi?" Plum added, "'honest' and 'beautiful'."

"Naw."

"Giuditta?"

"Giu-what?!"

"Akane?"

"Na-ah."

"Gaia?"

"No."

"Genoveffa?"

"What kinda name is that?!"

"Brunilda?"

"Sounds like the name of a female wrestler."

"Mao?"

"How 'bout _nao_."

They continued to cycle through names until Wocky had had enough.

"Awright, awright, jus' cut it out already! All these names suck!"

"Oh, dear", Plum said, "What are we going to do? We need to think of something..."

Everyone sat silent in thought, thinking for the name of the new Kitaki.

Wocky looked around the room for an idea, until his eyes landed on a vase of roses his mother had on a shelf nearby.

"What's wrong, son?" His father asked, "Did you think of something?"

"I-I think so", Wocky answered, "I... I wanna call 'er 'Rose'..."

"Awww", His mother said, "That's lovely..."

"No, wait... I gotta make it sound cooler! Rose is too..._ Boring_..."

Wocky thought some more and said, "I got it!"

"What?" Pearl asked.

"'Rosa'", He said, "I'm callin' 'er 'Rosa'... It sounds a lot tighter than 'Rose'... Sounds more hip to me, y'know?"

"Sounds good to me", Winfred said, "Rosa Kitaki... Has a nice ring to it."

"It certainly does", Plum said, "Now I need to add roses to her nursery..."

Winfred chuckled at his wife and said, "No need to rush."

"But she's coming in three months, honey! Right, Pearl? July thirty first?"

"Yes", Pearl replied, "That's correct."

Plum then began to take a few vases of roses she had around the house and took them up to the baby's room.

"That was a good name you picked", Pearl said to Wocky, "It sounds very fitting."

"Yeah", Wocky responded, "I jus' hope when she's born, her looks will match."

Pearl then gasped and said, "Oh! That reminds me..."

"What?"

"I still need to tell everyone about this!"

"Well go on ahead, then!"

Pearl then hurried to a phone and called Phoenix.

~*~

At the Wright Anything Agency, Trucy was sitting on the couch watching TV, while Phoenix was helping Apollo in the other room with some paperwork again.

"So you client's name is... Unathi Kgosi?" Phoenix asked as he scratched his head.

"Yes", Apollo said, "He _does _have a bit of a strange name. I'm not too sure where he's from though..."

"Borginia perhaps?"

"No, I don't think so. Anyway, he was accused of-"

Suddenly the phone rang.

"I'll get it!" Trucy's voice rang out as she picked up the phone.

"Hello~"

_"Hello, Trucy. How are you? I'm doing fine."_

"Hi, Pearl! I'm fine too! So, what's up?"

_"I was just calling to tell you that I have some news..."_

"Really?! Is it important? Should Daddy hear?"

_"Yes."_

She then put speaker phone on and said, "Daddy, Polly, come in here! Pearl has something important to tell us!"

They both came in as Phoenix said, "What's wrong, Pearls? Did something happen?"

_"No, no, everything's fine. I was just going to say that at the last doctor's appointment..."  
_

"Yes?" He asked

"Is 'Lil' G' OK?" Trucy said worriedly.

_"'Lil' G' is OK, but... The doctor said that 'Lil' G' is a she..."_

Trucy squealed and jumped up and down.

"You're having a _girl?!_ So 'Lil' G' wasn't a 'G' after all?!"

_"No", _Pearl answered, _"Apparently not..."_

Phoenix chuckled and said, "That's great, Pearls! I hope she'll grow up to be as strong as you, Mia and Maya!"

_"Thanks, Mr. Nick."_

Apollo gulped as he imagined a rough looking female thug as Wocky's daughter.

"What's wrong, Polly?" Trucy asked, "Aren't you happy for Pearl having a girl?"

"Y-Yeah", Apollo answered, "S-Sure..."

"Have you picked a name for her yet?" Phoenix asked.

_"Yes. Wocky picked it, actually."_

"Awwww~", Trucy shrieked, "What is it?!"

_"Rosa."_

"Awwwww~"

"That's cute, Pearls."

_"I'm surprised he didn't name her something ridiculous", _Apollo thought.

"Rosa Kitaki", Trucy said, "What a cute name! Oooh, I bet's she's gonna be soooo cuuuuute~ I can't wait to show her my magic tricks! And maybe when she's bigger she can be my assistaint in my magic shows!"

Pearl giggled and said, _"We'll see."_

"Is Wocky OK with it?"

_"He was a little dissapointed at first, but he's fine now. I think he'll enjoy having a little girl..."_

Trucy giggled and said, "I think so too, since he likes protecting girls and all..."

_"Yes, that's true... I have a feeling he'll be extremely protective over Rosa."_

Wocky was then heard in the background saying, _"Damn right."_

Trucy giggled again and said to him, "Hi, 'Daddy'!"

_"Cut it out, Shorty! Rosa don't call me Daddy!"_

"Then what does she call you then?"

_"She calls me 'Papa', jus' so you know!"_

"Aww! That's the same thing as "Daddy' though, isn't it?"

_"W-Well, yeah, but 'Papa' suits me more, y'know? An' besides, it'd get too confusin' if Rosa called me 'Daddy' while you call Nick 'Daddy'."_

Phoenix chuckled again and said, "True, true..."

Pearl came back on the line and said, _"Well, that's all I wanted to say. Good night, everyone."_

"Bye, Pearl", Trucy said as she hung up.

Trucy then squealed again and hugged Phoenix and Apollo at the same time.

"I don't beleive it! Wocky's going to have a daughter, just like you, Daddy!"

"Yes", Phoenix chortled, "That's true. I just hope he'll be able to handle fatherhood."

"I think he will, Daddy! Just look at his Daddy Big Wins!"

"Good point. He's a pretty decent man, despite formerly being the leader of a crime syndicate."

"I guess so", Apollo added.

"His mother is a total sweetheart", She said again, "Little Plum is sooo nice~"

"She is", Phoenix said.

Apollo cringed when he thought of her whipping out her katana from her broom.

"W-Why don't we get back to that case, Mr. Wright", He said as he drug Phoenix back into the other room as Trucy smiled at them and sighed dreamily.

_"Rosa Kitaki", _She thought, _"I wonder how she's gonna turn out...?"_

She then laughed and thought, _"Oh, well! We'll just have to wait and see!" _As she went back to watching TV.

~*~

"They seemed to take it pretty well", Pearl said as she put the phone down.

"Sounds like it", Plum said.

"Are you going to tell the rest of your family?" Winfred asked.

"Might as well", Pearl responded, "Before it gets too late."

She then dialed Maya's number and waited for her to pick up.

~*~

At Kurain Village, Maya was sitting in her chambers with some of the young channeling students.

"Has Ms. Pearly had her 'Little Fox Cub' yet?" One of the girls asked.

"No", Maya answered, "She's got about three or four months left."

"Ooh", The other girls whined, "Why is it taking so long, Mystic Maya?"

"Growing a baby takes a long time. That's just the way it is."

"And when he's born, you'll be there, right?"

"Of course! I can't miss my little Pearly have her first child!"

"I wish we could see."

"I'll take a picture of him for yo-"

Maya's phone started to ring.

"Hang on, girls", She said as she put the phone on speaker.

"Hello?"

_"Hello, Mystic Maya."_

"Pearly! How are you this evening?"

_"I'm fine. We just had dinner a while ago. You?"_

"Oh, we ate already too."

The girls intterupted by saying, "Ms. Pearly, is your 'Little Fox Cub' doing alright?"

Pearl giggled and said, _"Yes, but.. There's something about him that we found out."_

"What?!" They asked excitedly.

_"I went to the 'baby doctor' today, and..."_

"What, Ms. Pearly, what did they say?!"

Maya giggled as she said, "Yes, tell us!"

_"She said that the baby is a girl."_

The young apprentices started squealing and jumping up and down frantically.

"Really, Pearly?!" Maya asked through the commotion, "So Wocky's not gonna have a 'Lil' G' after all..."

_"No, but he's fine with it now though. He was a bit dissapointed at first, but he got used to it."_

"Does she have a name yet, Ms. Pearly?!" The girls asked again.

_"Yes. We're going to call her Rosa."_

"Awww!"

"Rosa!"

"That's such a cute name!"

"The 'Little Fox Princess'!"

Pearl giggled again and said, _"Thank you. I knew you'd like it."_

"I can't wait to see how pretty she is!"

"Me either", Maya added, "I bet she'll be the cutest baby at that hospital!"

_"I hope so."_

"Do you think Rosa could be able to channel, Mystic Maya?" One of the girls asked.

"Hmm", Maya answered, "I can't say for sure, since Rosa won't be a full blooded Fey. I'd have to wait and see when she's older."

"As strong as Ms. Pearly's powers are, I bet she'd be able to!"

_"Maybe so, but even if she did have powers, I wouldn't be sure if she would use them or not."_

"Good point."

_"And if we do discover she has powers, I want her to decide if she wants to become a spirit medium for herself. I don't want to force it on her if she somehow doesn't want to do it."_

"I see... Well, that's a long time from now, Pearly, so you've got plenty of time to think about it."

_"Thanks, Mystic Maya. Well, I think I should let you go now."_

"Alright. Goodnight, Pearly!"

"Goodnight, Ms. Pearly!"

_"Goodnight."_

When Maya hung up she smiled and said, "Pearly is having a little baby girl~"

"I can't wait to meet Rosa", The girls said, "She'll probably be as nice and kind as Ms. Pearly!"

"Or maybe she'll be funny and cute like Mr. Walkie Talkie!"

"Or both at the same time!"

"Yes", Maya said, "I think so too."

She then looked up at the clock and said, "You girls should get on to your rooms. It's almost time for bed."

"Alright, Mystic Maya. Goodnight!"

And with that, they walked out of Maya's room.

When they left, she went to her desk and sighed.

_"Oh, Pearly, having a baby girl... It's so sweet. And Wocky's family's gonna have the first female born! That must be so exciting!"_

~*~

"Maya's happy", Pearl said as she hung up the phone, "Everyone's taken this pretty well so far."

"That's good", Winfred said, "Now all we have to do now is just wait for that baby to come."

Wocky looked at Pearl and asked, "You gettin' scared? She's gonna be here in July, and it's April now..."

"A little", Pearl answered, "But I have a big, loving family around me to support me and make me feel comfortable and safe during it."

"Of course you do", Plum added, "We'll be right there the whole way through."

"Thank you."

The family then continued to talk about the newest addition to the family, Rosa Kitaki.

* * *

_**Reviews are nice, flames are not.**_

_**So, the true identity of 'Lil' G' is Rosa Kitaki? How interesting...**_

_**And I also wonder how she'll turn out.**_

_**Weeks along- 21  
**_

_**Stay tuned for the next chapter!**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Sorry for the rather long hiatus guys. A lot of stuff came up and therefore I had to put this fic on hold for a while. Now I've got this chapter along with Chapters 13-14 all posted at the same time, so I hope this huge update was worth the wait for you all.**_

* * *

Summer had just begun, and the weather was getting hotter and hotter.

Pearl was now only eight weeks away from giving birth, and it definately showed. She felt very clumsy as her belly was very large now and she felt as if she'll never go back to her original size.

But she felt a little better, since today she was having her baby shower.

"Do you need some help, sweetie?" Plum asked as she saw Pearl struggling to carry a pile of dishes as she was helping her wash them, her 'baby bump' in the way.

"N-No", Pearl answered, "I'm fine. I-I just-"

She then gasped as she almost dropped the plates on the floor, Plum stopping her and quickly taking the plates from her.

"You should be resting, dear", She said, "You're eight weeks away!"

"I know, Mother, but I'm a part of this family and I feel that I must-"

Plum put the dishes down and took her hand as she said, "You must _res_t. Don't worry about the chores, I can get Winnie and Paco to help me with them."

"What about Wocky?"

"I put him in charge of taking care of you and that baby."

Pearl sighed as she sat down on the couch.

"Mother, I can't just sit around and do _nothing_!"

"Pearl, don't you remember what the doctor said? You shouldn't push yourself too hard. Now just leave everything to me."

Plum then walked back into the kitchen and continued to do the dishes.

Pearl looked around the room as she saw it decorated with balloons, banners and roses.

_"Mother sure did set up the house quite nicely."_

She then turned her head to the front door as she heard it open.

"We're home", Winfred said as he walked in with his son, still wearing their aprons.

Wocky went over to Pearl and kissed her.

"Hey, Pea", He said, "You doin' awright? You ain't been workin' yerself too much have ya?"

"N-No", Pearl answered, "I've been resting, just like the doctor told me to do."

Wocky smiled and looked at his future daughter.

"Hey, lil' Rosie", He said, "You makin' sure Mamma's takin' care o' herself?"

_"Yes, Papa", _He imagined Rosa saying in her tiny voice.

"Aww, yer so cute, jus' like yer Mamma."

Pearl blushed and giggled.

_"How much longer do I have to stay in here? It's gettin' awfully cramped in here..."_

"Eight weeks."

_"Is that a long time?"  
_

"No, not really. Jus' 'bout two months, I think."

_"Oh. Well, I can't wait to get outta here, Papa! I wanna see you, Mamma, Gramma, Grampops, Uncle Nick, Auntie Trucy, Uncle Polly, Cousin Maya an' everybody else!"_

"Well, you'll see 'em today, Princess."

_"Really?"_

"Yeah. We're havin' a 'baby shower' today."

_"What's that?"_

"It's a party we're havin' for Mamma to celebrate 'er givin' birth to ya!"

_"A party? Mamma told me 'bout parties. They sound fun."_

"Yeah, they are. Everybody's gonna give 'er gifts an' you'll get gifts too!"

_"Really, Papa?"_

"Yeah!"

Wocky looked back up at Pearl and said, "What a cute lil' gurl she is. I hope she'll be as cute when she comes out."

"Sure she will", Pearl said, "Rosa will be a beautiful baby, trust me."

"I'll take yer word for it."

Soon Winfred and Plum joined them on the couch and added into the conversation.

"I remember worrying about what Wocky was gonna look like", Winfred said.

"And when he did", Plum added, "Oooh, he was sooo cute~"

"Moooooom!"

"What? If you were a cute baby, then Rosa will be too!"

"Yeah, probly."

"Dear?" Winfred asked his wife.

"Yes, Winnie?"

"Do you think Rosa will look like Wocky or Pearl?"

"Oh, I don't know. I have a feeling she'll look like Pearl, since she seems to have her soft and kind demenor."

"Or she might look like Wocky."

"A gurl that looks like me?" Wocky asked, "No way. That would be too weird!"

"No it wouldn't", Pearl said, "I think it would be cute."

"I can see her now", His mother continued, "Having Wocky's cute little smile... Twirling her hair like him... But also having Pearl's sweet, polite nature..."

She then sighed dreamily.

"I can see that too", His father said, "I have a feeling Rosa's going to come out looking like Wocky and having his personality, but also having Pearl's personality mixed in."

"I think so too."

Everyone sat silent for a moment, until Pearl said, "I've invited everyone to the baby shower."

"I know", Plum said.

She then turned to Wocky and said, "This is a women's only party, so don't be snooping in here."

"I know, Mom", He said, "Pops already told me."

"Where are you and your friends going to go?"

"I dunno. Probly to Ricardo's house or somethin', since he's got a pool an' stuff..."

"But _we _have a pool!"

"I know, but you said men can't come to Pearl's party, so we're goin' to Ricardo's place."

His mother sighed and said, "That's fine. Just remember before you come home _please _dry yourself off throughly... I don't want the tiles to get ruined..."

"Mooom..."

Pearl looked at her husband and said, "Just go and have a good time, I'll be fine here."

"Awright", He responded as he went upstairs to grab his swim trunks.

Plum then turned to Pearl and said, "Now you just relax and leave everything to me!"

"What about Father?"

"Oh, he'll be in his office, as usual", She responded as she saw her husband heading that way.

"I see... Well, I'll just sit here until the guests arrive..."

Her mother-in-law chuckled and said, "You go right on ahead, sweetie."

And Pearl did just that.

**

A little while later, Pearl was still resting on the couch as Plum sat next to her as they waited for their baby shower guests to arrive.

"I think you'll like the gift I got you", Plum said.

"I know I will", Pearl said with a smile, "That tea set you gave me when Wocky and I got married was very nice."

"Oh, thank you, sweetie!"

"You're welcome, Mother."

"..."

"So, everyone's coming, right Mother?"

"Yes, but Mom can't come since she's busy over in Japan..."

She then pulled out a package and said, "But she sent this this the other day. I hid it in the closet until today."

"Oh, I wonder what it is?"

"I don't know, but we'll find out soon."

Suddenly the doorbell rang, and Plum got up to get it.

"Hello, Mrs. Kitaki", Maya said as she came in with a gift bag, "And hello, Pearly~"

"Hello, Mystic Maya", Pearl said, "How's everyone back in Kurain?"

"Oh, they're just _so _excited to see that little Rosa!"

She giggled and said, "Well, they won't have to wait for too much longer!"

"Eight weeks!"

"I know!"

A few moments later Trucy came in saying, "Hello~"

"Hello, Trucy. Are Mr. Nick and Mr. Polly joining Wocky for his party?"

"No. Daddy's still helping Polly with his case he's currently on."

"Oh. Well, tell him I said good luck."

"I will!"

They all sat together on the couch and continued to talk.

"So", Maya said, "How do you feel about becoming a mom?"

"It's exciting and a little scary at the same time... But with all the family support I have here, I don't have to worry."

"That's right", Plum said, "You can always count on us to help you!"

"Yep!" Trucy said, "If you need anything, just call me and Daddy and we'll be here!"

"Thank you, I will."

Soon Masami, Natsumi, and Yoshiko came in.

"Hello, Mommy~", Yoshiko said, "Me and Alfie picked a nice gift for you~"

"... Dino and I did as well", Natsumi said, "... I just hope you enjoy it..."

"It took us forever to find something decent", Masami said, "But I think Ricardo and I found something that you'll like."

"Thank you."

The three girls joined Pearl, Trucy, Maya and Plum on the couch.

"I'm guessing your boyfriends went to Wocky's party?" Plum asked.

"Of course", Masami said, "They're at our- That is, Ricardo's place- using the pool."

"You're still living with him?"

"Yes... In fact..."

She then showed a diamond ring on her finger.

Everyone gasped at this sight.

"You're _engaged_?!" Pearl asked.

"Yes", Masami answered, "We're getting married next spring."

"Aww~", Trucy said, "That's so nice!"

"I know~", Yoshiko said, "I wish Alfie would marry me too~"

"... I don't think he's ready", Natsumi said, "... Judging by how mature he is..."

"I think he'll be ready someday~ Oh!"

She then smirked and said, "And what about you and Dino? Do you think he'll ask you to marry him?"

Natsumi blushed and looked down.

"... I-I-I'm not sure..."

"I think he will~", Yoshiko said, "He really loves you, so I think so~"

She then smirked again and looked at Trucy.

"Are you and Rocco still seeing each other~ Back during the wedding you guys sure were close~"

"Well", Trucy said, "I went out with him a few more times after that, but then one time when we went out, he said he didn't have feelings for me anymore... And that he just wanted to be friends."

Everyone 'Awwed' in sympathy.

"I thought you two had something", Pearl said, "But I guess it wasn't meant to be..."

"Maybe so", Trucy sighed, "Because a few weeks later, I saw him with another girl..."

The group gasped.

"What?!" Plum asked, "I'm going to ask his mother when she gets here if this is true!"

"Aunt Rosalina", Pearl said, "Right?"

"Yes."

Soon the door opened, and low and behold, there she was, her sweet, happy self carrying a giant gift bag, along with Wocky's other aunt Catarina.

"Hello, hello~", Rosalina said, "I have something very nice for you, sweetie~"

"Me, too", Catarina added.

Plum turned to Rocco's mother and said, "Trucy just told me Rocco dumped her! Is this true?"

As she sat down and put down her bag, Rosalina frowned and said, "Sadly, yes, he did. He told me that he realized that he didn't have 'feelings' for her anymore."

"And I saw him with another girl!" Trucy said as she jumped in, "Do you know anything about that?"

"Oh... Oh, dear... You mean Silvia?"

"Is that her name?"

"Yes. She's... They... Rocco met her a little while ago, and he said that she's his girlfriend."

Trucy looked down sadly.

Pearl put her hand on her shoulder and said, "Trucy... I'm so sorry..."

"It's alright, Pearl, I figured that's who that girl was."

"Do you think you could still be friends with him?"

"... To be honest... No."

Rosalina gasped and said, "Why not! He really liked you as a friend, why would you want to break it up?"

"Because he has a girlfriend now, and it would be too awkward to be around him knowing that."

Everyone looked at her silently, feeling sorry for her.

A few moments later, Maria, Lucia, Alice and Vitalia walked in.

"Hello", They all said, until they noticed the sad atmosphere.

"What's wrong?" Vitalia asked.

"Rocco dumped Trucy", Pearl said, "And he got a new girlfriend weeks later."

Alice shook her head and said, "I can't believe he did that! You better scold him good, Aunt Rosalina!"

"I'm sorry", She said sadly, "But he's an adult now... He has to make his own decisions. I can't tell him what to do anymore."

"U-Um", Pearl said, "I think we should just drop the issue and get to opening my presents? This is _my _party, you know..."

"Yes", Plum added, "That's a very good idea... I'll give you my gift first, Pearl..."

Pearl took the box from her mother-in-law's hands and began to open it.

She then pulled out a light pink baby blanket that had rose patterns printed on it, with Rosa's name sewn in on the bottom corner.

"Aww", Trucy said, "That is so cute~"

"It's definitely fitting for Rosa", Pearl said, "It's very lovely. Thank you, Mother."

"It's no problem at all, sweetie", Plum laughed.

Pearl then picked up Kaede's gift and said, "Let's see what Grandmother sent me..."

She opened the box, and she gasped at what she saw.

"What is it?" Maya asked.

She pulled out an already assembled bassinet that she had made, with a note attached.

"_Harumi-chan,_

_I made you this bassinet for your little one. I call her 'Takimi'. I combine names of you and Takita-kun. Send me pictures when she comes._

_  
Kaede._

"It's beautiful", She as she placed it on the table and put the blanket inside, "Rosa would love sleeping in this... And I like Grandmother's name for her..."

"Takimi", Plum said, "It means 'beautiful waterfall'."

"That's pretty~", Trucy said, "But what does 'Harumi' and 'Takita' mean?"

"Harumi is 'beautiful springtime'", Plum answered, "And Takita is... Roughly, 'big waterfall'..."

"I guess that makes sense... Pearl is beautiful like spring... And Wocky... When it comes to him talking, his mouth is like a big waterfall of words!"

Everyone laughed at Trucy's comment.

"Oh!" She interrupted, "Open my gift next, Pearl!"

Pearl took Trucy's gift and opened it.

It was a small prop rose and a baby sized beanie cap that was similar to Phoenix's, but it was pink and had a rose embroidered on it with Rosa's name printed on it.

"The hat was Daddy's idea", She said, "And the little rose was one of my props, but I want Rosa to have it."

"Thank you", Pearl said, "I think she'll like it."

Trucy giggled and said, "I hope so!"

Maya handed over her gift and said, "This is from me and everyone back in Kurain."

"Thank you", Pearl said as she took the box.

She opened it and inside, she found her old ball that she used to play with when she was younger.

"... M-Mystic Maya", She said, having forgotten about this item, "I haven't seen this in _years... _Where did you find it?"

"I found it while I was cleaning out the house", Maya answered, "And I thought, 'I remember me and Pearly playing with this ball together a long time ago... I think I want to give it back to her, so her and Rosa can play with it."

Pearl was almost in tears as she said, "... T-Thank you, Mystic Maya... It'll be like old times..."

She then hugged her older cousin, as she hugged her back.

"... Here's my gift, Pearl", Natsumi said as Pearl and Maya broke away from their embrace, "It's from Dino and I..."

"Thank you", Pearl said as she accepted the gift.

She opened the box and inside was a CD of ambient music.

"... It was Dino's idea", Natsumi said, "We have another copy of this CD that he plays when we have Gloria over, and it puts her right to sleep... Hopefully it'll help for Rosa too..."

Pearl went up to Wocky's stereo nearby and took out his rap CD and replaced it with the new one.

She pressed the play button, and was greeted to the sound of soft nature sounds accompanied by a gentle orchestra in the background.

"Oh, my", She said, "This is beautiful. It's definitely nice to have something to listen to other than Wocky's... _Vulgar _music..."

"I'll say", Plum said, "This is much nicer for Rosa to listen to... Thank you, Natsumi."

"... You're welcome, Pearl", Natsumi said.

As they let the music play, Pearl asked, "Who wants to share their gift next?"

"I will", Masami said as she handed her box to Pearl, "Ricardo and I paid a lot of money for this, so I hope it's worth it."

"O-Oh, I'm sure it will be..."

Pearl began to open the box, and gasped at the contents inside.

It was a very elegant and expensive looking toddler sized dress, pink with roses sewn on the bottom trim.

"Masami", She said, "This is beautiful... But, it's too big for Rosa to wear..."

"They didn't have dresses for infant sizes", Masami explained, "So we had to settle for the toddler size. Just keep it somewhere safe and let her wear it when she's older."

"Thank you, I will."

"Here's me and Alfie's gift~", Yoshiko said, "It's _really _nice~"

Pearl smiled and took her box saying "Thank you".

She then opened the box and pulled out a plush fox doll with a pearl necklace around its neck, another with bow-tie and a rose in its mouth, and another smaller one with a pink collar with a rose on the front.

"They're supposed to be you, Wocky and Rosa!" Yoshiko said happily.

"This is so cute", Pearl said, "Where did you get these?"

"Alfie's mom made them!"

"Tell her I said thank you."

"OK, I will!"

Alice handed Pearl her gift and said, "Here's my gift. Hope you like it."

"Thank you", Pearl said as she took it.

She opened it and inside was a footsie baby outfit that was pink.

"Thank you", Pearl said as she put it to the side, "It's really nice I'm getting all these clothes for Rosa."

"Yes", Alice said, "I knew you could use them, so..."

Pearl turned to the group again and asked, "Who would like to share their gift next?"

Catarina stood up and said, "I will. Here you are, sweetie."

"Thank you, Aunt Catarina", Pearl said as she took the gift bag from her hands.

She reached inside and pulled out baby linens that she apparently had made herself.

"You can never have too many blankets for a baby", Pearl's aunt-in-law said, "Trust me."

"I know", Pearl replied, "Thank you."

"Your welcome dear."

"..."

"Rosalina, why don't you share your gift next?"

"Oh! I almost forgot!" The other aunt said as she snapped out of a thought that she was apparently in.

Rosalina hastily handed her gift bag to Pearl and said, "Here you are, dear."

"Thank you, Aunt Rosalina."

Pearl took a box out of the bag and opened it, and inside was a 'baby kit' of sorts, with a diaper bag, diapers, baby formula and bottles.

"Oh my", Pearl said, "You didn't have to get all this-"

"But you _need _it, dear", Rosalina said, "I want you and Wocky to be prepared for when that sweet little girl comes."

"That was very nice of you, Rosalina", Plum said, "We need all the help we can get."

"It was no trouble at all, really."

"Alright", Pearl said, "Maria, Lucia, and Vitalia... May I have your gifts please? You're the only ones left that haven't shared their gifts."

"OK."

"Alright."

"Sure."

All three girls handed over their gifts to Pearl and she opened them each one by one.

Maria had given her a baby monitor.

"Uncle Winfred told me that Wocky was really going to be protective over this baby", She said, "So I thought this would be very beneficial for you both."

"Mother told me about these things", Pearl said, "You put one of these walkie talkies in the baby's room, and the other one in your room, and you can hear them at all times."

"Yes, that's right. So whenever Rosa cries, Wocky can jump right into action."

Maria then laughed, as did everyone else.

"Thank you", Pearl said, "We will definitely be using this."

Lucia gave Pearl a baby rattle with rose designs on it and Rosa's name.

"This is so cute", Pearl said, "I think Rosa will like this as well."

"Thanks", Lucia said, "Babies like rattles, right? So I thought it would be very appropriate."

"Yes it is. Thank you again."

"No problem."

And finally, Vitalia had given Pearl another baby outfit.

"Thank you", Pearl said, "All these clothes... Can never have too many of them, huh?"

"Yeah", Vitalia said, "Trust me, you'll need _a lot _of clothes for babies... Y'know, how they spit up and all... Trust me, I've been there with Donnie..."

"Oh... W-Well, thank you, Vitalia."

"No problem."

Pearl then stood up and said, "Well, everyone, thank you for all these nice gifts!"

"You're welcome", Everyone responded.

"So... Shall we have lunch now?"

Everyone agreed, and that's exactly what they did.

* * *

_**Reviews are nice, flames are not.**_

_**Chapter 12 done!**_

_**Pearl got some really nice gifts for Rosa, huh?**_

Well, I'll see you guys in Chapter 13 and 14, which I posted at the same time as this!


	13. Chapter 13

_**In this chapter, Pearl goes to visit Phoenix and Trucy for lunch, but things go differently than planned...**_

* * *

It was rather warm on this fine summer morning.

Pearl opened her eyes and sat up, noticing that Wocky was gone.

She got up and got dressed and headed to the kitchen to help Plum make breakfast.

**

"Good morning, dear", Plum said as she was cooking.

"Good morning, Mother", Pearl answered as she went over to her, "May I help you with your cooking?"

"Oh, I suppose you can."

Pearl then began stirring a pot of boiling water while her mother-in-law got some vegatables.

"Did Wocky go to work today?"

"Yes. Winnie went as well, of course."

"I see."

"When are they coming home?"

"I think around five or so like always."

"Oh."

Pearl turned back to the pot and continued to stir as Plum dumped the vegatables in.

"You're getting awfully close to your due date... Have you felt any 'fake contractions' at all?"

"No, but I've felt Rosa kick a little more than usual lately."

"Oh", Plum said worriedly, "You better be careful! That baby could come at any moment now!"

Pearl gulped as she heard this.

"_Any_ moment?"

"Yes! I remember right before I went into labor with Wocky, I was doing laundry I think, and then all of a sudden I felt my water break and the contractions came. I didn't see it coming at all, really!"

"H-How will I know when it happens to me?"

Plum laughed and said, "Trust me, you'll know."

"How long were you in labor?"

"Hmm... About five hours."

"_Five hours_?! My doctor told me that some people are in labor for a day or longer!"

"Yes, yes, that's true, but for some people it's different. I'm _glad _it wasn't that long for me!"

"Hopefully my labor won't be long, either..."

"Oh, don't worry, sweetie, you'll be fine."

_"I-I hope so..."_

Soon the soup that they were making was finished, and they each got themselves a bowl.

"Shall we go have breakfast now, dear?"

"S-Sure..."

**

As they were eating, Pearl was now feeling a bit frightened now that she was very well aware that Rosa could be born at any time.

_"But when?" _She thought, _"When will it happen?"_

"Something wrong, dear?" Plum asked.

"N-No, no", Pearl replied, "I-I'm fine."

"Pearl, you'll be fine. Just don't worry."

"Yes, I know."

They then continued to eat in silence, until Pearl felt a kick.

"Oh!"

"What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing, Mother..."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Alright..."

**

They were done eating a little while later, as Pearl and Plum proceeded to put their dishes away and sat down for their morning tea as usual.

"You look very tense, dear", Plum said to Pearl, "Hopefully this tea will help..."

"I'm _fine_, Mother", She replied in an irritable tone.

_"Oh, dear", _Plum thought, _"I'm getting very worried about her..."_

"Are you still going to visit Mr. Wright and Trucy today?"

"Yes. I'm going over there later for lunch."

"I see. What are they having?"

"I think Mr. Nick said he was maki-"

Pearl felt a kick again.

Plum looked at her worriedly again.

"Are you sure you should go? Rosa's been kicking you an awful lot lately..."

"H-How do you know she's kicking?"

"I can tell. Mother's intuition, you know."

"And I'm still going to visit Mr. Nick. I promised I was coming and I still am!"

"Well, alright, but _please _be careful!"

"Alright, Mother, I will."

They then continued to chat over their tea.

**

About two or three hours later, Pearl was getting ready to go to Phoenix and Trucy's place.

"Have you felt anymore kicks since this morning?" Plum asked as Pearl was heading out the door.

"No", She answered, "I think she's calmed down now."

"Good."

She then kissed her on the cheek and said, "Have a good time, sweetie."

"Alright, I will", Pearl said as she walked out.

~*~

Meanwhile, Phoenix, Trucy and Apollo were sitting at a table together, waiting for Pearl to arrive.

"Polly, why did you bring your work stuff with you?!" Trucy asked.

"It's important, Trucy", Apollo responded, "After lunch Mr. Wright was going to help me go through these papers..."

Trucy sighed and said, "Can't you just relax for just one day at least?"

"With a job like mine, it's impossible."

Phoenix laughed and said, "I felt like that too when I first started out, but when I got more used to my role I didn't feel that way anymore."

"Mr. Wright, I'm not a newbie anymore! I've been an attorney for four years now!"

"Yes, and you're still pretty fresh on the market, Apollo."

"How long were _you _an attorney until you got your badge revoked?"

"Hmm... Three years?"

"WHAT?!"

"I know, it's sad... My carreer got cut incredibly short..."

_"At least mine's lasted a year longer."_

Soon there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it, Daddy!" Trucy said as she went to the door.

She opened it and saw Pearl standing there.

"Hello, Pearl", Trucy said to her.

"Hello, Trucy", Pearl answered.

Trucy bent down to her pregnant belly and said in a 'baby' voice, "Hello, Rosa~ "

Pearl giggled and said, "She's coming any day now."

"Aww~"

"Mystic Maya said she's staying at a hotel nearby so she can get to the hospital as quickly as possible."

"That's so sweet! Guess Kurain Village is a ways away, huh?"

"Yes, sort of."

Trucy then took her hand and led her into the kitchen to rejoin Phoenix and Apollo.

**

When they arrived in the kitchen Pearl said, "Hello, Mr. Nick, Mr. Polly."

"Hello, Pearl."

"Hello, Pearls."

"C'mon", Trucy said, "Sit, sit, sit!"

As Pearl proceeded to sit down, she felt Rosa kick again and said "Oh!"

"You OK, Pearl?" Trucy asked.

"Y-Yes, I'm-"

Another kick, this time more powerful than the last.

Phoenix and Apollo looked at her in concern.

_"Oh, God",_ Apollo thought.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Phoenix asked.

"Y-Yes, Mr. Nick, I'm-"

She then clutched her belly in pain and screeched in pain.

"Uh oh", Trucy said, "Daddy, Polly, I think-"

Pearl cried out in pain as she said, "I should've listened to Mother!"

Phoenix picked her up frantically and said, "Just calm down, Pearls, we're going to get you help!"

"Do you think we'll be able to make it to the hospital?" Apollo asked.

"I don't know", Phoenix responded as he took Pearl to her old room, "At the rate she's going, I don't think so."

**

When they got to her room, Phoenix set her down as he shouted out instructions to Apollo and Trucy.

"Apollo, you call 911!"

Apollo pulled out his cellphone and did so.

"Trucy, you call the Kitakis and Maya!"

"OK, Daddy!" Trucy said as she made a mad dash to the phone.

_"I'll call Little Plum first",_ She thought as she dialed the Kitakis' house number.

She waited for a moment until she heard a voice say, _"Hello?"_

"Little Plum, this is an emergency!"

_"Oh, no, don't tell me-"_

"Yes! Pearl's in labor!"

_"Oh, dear, I'll be up there right away!"_

_~*~  
_Plum hung up the phone frantically and yelled out, "PACO GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!"

The 'underboss' came as fast as he could and said, "Yes, somethin' wrong?"

"Pearl's in labor! I'm going down to Mr. Wright's place right now!"

"Whadda ya want me to do?"

"Call Winfred and call him _right now_!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am", Paco said as he pulled out his cellphone and dialed his boss' number.

~*~

_  
_Winfred was in his office at the pie shop while Wocky was out front taking orders with his workmates.

He was doing some paperwork, until his phone rang.

"Hello, this is the-"

_"Boss, this is serious!"_

"What?!"

_"Lil' Plum jus' told me that Pearl's in labor-"_

"WHAT?!"

_"She and I are goin' down to Wright's place right now! You better grab Wocky and get yer ass down here, too, Lil' Plum's orders!"_

"Alright, we'll be there as fast as we can!"

Winfred hung up and immediately ran out of his office and into the front of the shop.

"Wocky!" He said to his son, "We gotta shut down!"

"What?!" Wocky asked, not knowing what was going on.

"What's goin' on, Boss?" One of the employees asked.

"Pearl's in labor, you meathead!" He said to him.

"Woah, congradulations, man!"

"WHAT?!" Wocky said as he pretty much dropped everything and hauled ass out of there.

All the customers in the shop cheered and said their congradulations to the new father as they walked out, and the other employee closed up shop.

Winfred ran after him shouting, "Wait, we gotta go to Wright's place, that's where she is-"

"WHAT?! SHE'S HAVIN' OUR KID _THERE_?!"

"According to what your mother and Paco said."

Winfred and Wocky got into the car as his father started up the car and sped down the road as fast as they could.

~*~

Back at the Wright Everything Agency an hour later, the paramedics Apollo summoned had already arrived, as did Maya and Plum.

Pearl was screaming in pain as all the people were surronding her, trying to give her support.

"MR. NICK", She cried, "IT HURTS SO MUCH-"

"I know", Phoenix said as he was on one side of her, holding her hand, Trucy standing next to him. Maya was on the other side, holding her other hand.

Apollo was standing behind Trucy, not beleiving what was happening.

_"This is completely insane", _He thought, _"Someone giving birth... Here?!"_

Plum was standing on Maya's side._  
_

"You're doing good, ma'am", One of the paramedics said, "Just keep calm, alright?"

Pearl responded by crying out in pain again.

"Pearly", Maya said, "Don't be afraid, you can do this."

"I-I don't want Wocky to miss this", She said in a worn out voice, "Our baby-"

She screamed again.

"Do you see anything?" Phoenix asked the paramedics.

"We can see the top of the head a little bit", One of them answered.

"You're almost there, Pearl!" Trucy said, "Not much longer till Rosa's here!"

~*~

Winfred and Wocky finally arrived at the Agency, and noticed that an ambulance and firetruck were parked outside, and there were a few nosy spectators around.

They both got out of the car as fast as they could and ran into the building.

~*~

"Pearl!" Wocky called out, "Me an' Pops are here!"

Plum ran into the entrance room and said, "Thank goodness!"

She then took both of their hands and dragged them into the room where Pearl and everyone else was.

~*~

When they got there, Wocky saw Pearl lying on the bed in pain and immediately went to her.

"Pearl!" He said as he sat next to her on the bed, Maya moving out of his way.

"Wocky", She said, "You came just in time..."

He kissed her and said, "I wouldn't have missed this for nothin'."

"Aww~", Trucy said.

Winfred stood in the doorway with his wife as the paramedics were telling Pearl to finally push.

She did as she was told, feeling the most intense pain of her life as she did.

"Good, Good, the baby's head's almost out, honey", The paramedics said.

Pearl pushed again, squeezing onto Wocky's and Phoenix's hands at the same time.

Trucy went over to the paramedics and said, "Can I see?"

"Sure, but don't get too close."

Trucy looked between Pearl's legs and gasped in amazement.

"Wow, Daddy, I can see her head!"

Phoenix chuckled nervously and said, "That's good."

"Alright, honey, one more push should do it."

Pearl gave one final push, the hardest she possibly could, feeling the most incredible pain of her life.

A few moments later, the sound of wailing rang out in the room, and Pearl sighed of releif that it was all over.

"Good job, hon, the baby's out", The paramedics said as one of them pulled out medical scissors, "A baby girl."

Everyone cheered and clapped happily.

"Whoever here is the father of this baby, would you like to cut the cord?"

Wocky didn't move, as he was too scared to see what Rosa looked like.

"Go on", Pearl said.

Everyone watched as he slowly walked up to the medic holding his baby.

As he took the scissors from the medic and proceeded to cut the cord, his eyes went wide as he looked at Rosa for the first time.

_"Wow"_, He though as he cut the cord.

The medics then proceeded to clean her up, wrap her in a towel and then handing her to Pearl.

Pearl gasped as she got her first glimpse of Rosa.

"Wocky", She said softly, "Look at her..."

Everyone gathered around to see, and they all gasped in amazement.

The baby was small, with tanned skin like her father, in addition to having his eyes, nose and mouth. She had a full head of hair that was chestnut brown like Wocky's.

She was still crying as Pearl tried to soothe her.

"Hello, Rosa", She said sweetly as she stroked her cheek, "It's alright, your Mamma is here..."

"Awww~", Trucy said as she looked at her, "She looks just like you, Wocky~"

"I know", Wocky responded, completely mesmerized over how beautiful Rosa was.

"Oh my goodness~", Plum said, almost in tears, "She's the most precious thing I've ever seen~"

"She's a Kitaki, alright", Winfred said as he looked at his granddaughter's features, "Wocky, you did good, son."

"She's so cute~", Maya said as she took a photo for the girls back at the village, "I'm so happy for you guys~"

"Thank you", Pearl said as she was comforting her new daughter.

"Step back, please, we're taking her in."

The medics then proceeded to put Pearl on a stretcher as they were to take her to the hospital.

"H-Hold on!" Wocky said as he followed them out, "I ain't even got a chance to hold 'er yet!"

"Sir, we have to take her to the hospital so we can give a proper examination of your wife and your baby."

Winfred stopped his son as the medics took Pearl and Rosa away.

"Let 'em do their job, son", He said, "We're all goin' up to the hospital with them."

Soon Winfred, Plum, Wocky, Phoenix, Maya, Trucyand Apollo all went to the Kitaki's family limo that Paco had gotten during all of this.

When they got in Winfred told his underboss, "Step on it, Paco, and follow that ambulance."

"I'm on it, Boss", He responded as he drove after the ambulance.

* * *

_**Reviews are nice. Flames are not.**_

_**Pearl finally gave birth, and she did it at Phoenix's place of all places!**_

_**It's too bad Wocky didn't really get a chance to hold the baby or anything.**_

_**Stay tuned for the next chapter, where the family finally gets to the hospital!**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Pearl's just given birth, and now the Kitaki family's limo is following the ambulance to the hospital.**_

* * *

Paco followed the ambulance on the way to the city hospital, which was a few feet in front of them.

Everyone was chattering excitedly about the birth.

"Oh", Plum said, holding her husband, "That stubborn girl! I _knew _she was lying when she said she was fine! For all we know she could've been in labor all day and just ignored it!"

"Calm down, honey", Winfred said, "It was a good thing she was at Wright's place."

He then turned to Phoenix and said, "You did the right thing, sir."

He chuckled and said, "Thanks, Mr. Kitaki. Pearls has always been that way, though... Not wanting any help from anyone. Always wanting to handle things on her own."

"No truer words could be said, Nick", Maya said, "That's Pearly for you!"

Trucy then chimed in and said, "Wasn't Rosa so cute~? I didn't imagine that she would look like Wocky~"

She then turned to Wocky and said, "What do you think about that... 'Papa'?"

"Yeah", He said, "It totally blew my mind that she's got like... _All _of my looks! All of it!"

"I noticed that", Apollo said, "Like father, like daughter..."

_"I hope the looks is all that she inherits."_

Suddenly they heard a voice shout, "Yo!" outside.

Everyone turned and looked out the window, and saw Ricardo driving his car with Dino, Alfonse, Natsumi, Yoshiko and Masami as his passengers.

"What the heck are you guys doin'?!" Wocky shouted to them outside the window.

"Yer mom called me", Ricardo said, "An' told me to grab the crew an' join y'all at the hospital!"

"Congrats, man", Alfonse said, "Yoshi wants to see that Rosa real bad! Doncha, Yoshi?"

"Yes~", Yoshiko said, "And tell Pearl I said congradulations~"

"Don't worry", Winfred said, "We will."

"See ya there", Ricardo said again as they shut the windows.

Plum smiled and said, "I figured you and Pearl both could have your friends' support."

"Thanks, Mom", Wocky said, "That was real cool o' ya... I guess..."

The rest of the ride consistied of excited conversation.

**

About thirty minutes later, the group had finally arrived at the hospital.

Paco parked the limo and everyone got out, as Wocky ran to the front door of the buliding.

"There he goes", Plum said as they were walking many feet behind him, "Off to find his 'Angel Queen' and 'Little Princess'.

"Yeah", Trucy said dreamily, "I can't wait to see them all together... One big, happy family..."

Phoenix chuckled and said, "Just like us, Trucy-doll."

"Aww, Daddy~"

"Wocky sure runs fast", Maya said, "He's already out of sight!"

Trucy giggled and said, "He's just excited to see his little baby~"

"I guess that's true."

Plum hugged Winfred and said, "Aren't you proud of them, dear? Pearl was so brave during all of that!"

"Yeah", He answered, "That was real impressive! I didn't expect her to go into labor so quickly, though..."

"Well", Phoenix said, "Let's just try to catch up with Wocky and see Pearl and Rosa."

~*~

Wocky ran into the building and immediately demanded where Pearl was.

"Sir", One of the nurses said, "Please calm down. Now just tell us what your wife's name is."

"Pearl Fey", He said, "Now just tell me where she is! She's just had my kid!"

"Oh. The paramedics just brought her in a while ago. Here's her room number."

The nurse handed him Pearl's room number and immediately ran off to find it.

_"I'm comin', Pea... I said I'd always be by yer side, an' this time's no different..."_

~*~

The rest of the group came into the hospital lobby and went up to the nurse's station.

"Did you see my son come in?" Winfred asked.

The nurse looked at him fearfully and said, "O-Oh, yes... That fox boy?"

"Yeah, that's him. You saw him?"

"Y-Yes, he just came in. He asked me for Pearl Fey's room number."

"Can you give it to us? We're family."

Suddenly Ricardo and his gang came in.

The nurse looked at them and said, "Are they with you too?"

Winfred turned around and said, "Yes. They're family friends."

"Yo, Big Wins!" Dino shouted.

Ricardo punched him and said, "Shaddap, man, this is a hospital! There's sick people in here!"

"O-Oh, sorry..."

"Hospitals gimme the creeps", Alfonse said.

"Get over here!" Plum said to them, "We're all going to see Pearl together, aren't we?"

The whole group came together and they headed to Pearl's room.

~*~

Wocky was now on the maternity floor of the hospital, looking around all the halls for Pearl's room.

_"Where is it, where is it?!"_

"Pearl?! Pearl! If you can hear me-"

"Ssssh!" A nurse said, "Please keep your voice down, sir!"

"My wife's in one o' these rooms an' I'm tryin' to find 'er!"

"What's her name, sir?"

"Pearl Fey."

"Oh! Her! I just saw her a moment ago, her room's right this way."

The nurse then lead Wocky to Pearl's room.

**

"Here it is", The nurse said, "And congradulations to you."

"Thanks, I guess", Wocky said as he walked inside the room.

He saw Pearl in her hospital bed wearing a gown, sleeping.

"Pearl?" He whispered as he walked up to her, "I'm here."

Pearl opened her eyes and said, "Wocky..."

He then kissed her and wrapped his arms around her.

When he pulled away from her he asked, "Where's Rosa?"

"The nurses took her to the nursery for a bath and checkup. They said they'll bring her in soon."

"Oh..."

They were then silent for a moment as Wocky sat down in a chair next to Pearl's bed.

"Where is everyone?" Pearl asked a few minutes later.

"Oh, they're comin'", Wocky responded, "They're probly-"

"Pearl!"

Pearl sat up and saw Phoenix, Trucy, Apollo, Maya, Winfred, Plum, Dino, Alfonse, Ricardo, Natsumi, Masami, and Yoshiko come into the room.

Plum immediately went up to her daughter-in-law and hugged her, "Oooh, I am soo proud of you, sweetie~"

"Thank you, Mother", She responded, "Though I wish I would have listened to you..."

"Oh, it's alright, dear! At least you were at a safe place!"

"I know. That was the most painful thing I'd ever felt in my entire life... But when I first heard Rosa cry... The pain was all gone..."

"Awww~"

Trucy went up to Pearl and Wocky and said, "Where _is _she? I wanna see her~"

"She's gettin' cleaned up", Wocky responded, "She's comin' in a minute."

"Oh."

"She was _sooo_ pretty", Maya said, "The girls back at the village are gonna love her!"

"Yeah", Wocky said, "She is pretty, ain't she? Jus' like 'er Mamma..."

Pearl blushed and said, "Oh, Wocky..."

Dino looked out the door and said, "There's a nurse comin' carryin' a pink blanket. That Rosa?"

Alfonse looked too and said, "Probly."

Natsumi, Yoshiko and Masami went over to Pearl and gave their congradulations.

"Thank you", Pearl said.

"I can't wait to see her~" Yoshiko said.

Soon the nurse came in, carrying the pink blanket with Rosa bundled in it.

She handed her to Pearl and said, "Here you are ma'am, your little baby girl Rosa~"

Everyone gathered around as Pearl took the sleeping baby in her arms and said, "Thank you."

The nurse then walked out as the group admired little Rosa.

"Rosa", Pearl said softly as she looked at her daughter's fox like face, "Everyone's here to see you..."

"Hey, Rosa~", Trucy said, "I'm your Auntie Trucy~"

"And your Cousin Maya~", Maya added.

As everyone was talking to Rosa about how cute she was, Wocky sat there silently, almost afraid to do anything.

_"After all this time",_ He thought, _"Rosa's finally here... But why do I feel so scared to talk to her now? It was fine before while she was in Pearl's belly, but now..."_

"What's wrong, Wocky?" Dino asked, "You look kinda upset."

"... Yes", Natsumi said, "... Apprehensive, almost..."

"I-I..."

Wocky then left the room, completely overwhelmed.

"Wocky", Pearl said, "Where are you going?"

His parents went after him as Winfred said, "I think he's getting ready to have a break down..."

"Oh, no..."

Everyone looked at the scene worriedly as they walked out.

**

"What's going on?!" Plum asked her husband, "I thought Wocky was so happy about finally seeing his baby!"

"Just calm down, honey", Winfred said, "I think he's just overwhelmed and in shock... Let's just find him and talk to him.

They looked around for a few moments, until they saw their son sitting on a bench by the elevator, his head in his hands and looking clearly distraught.

"Honey", Plum said as she approached him, "What's wrong? Why did you leave?"

"I'm scared, awright?!" Wocky shouted, his voice clearly upset, "Rosa's so little an' so delicate lookin'... I'm 'fraid to get too close to 'er or even hold 'er!"

"Oh, sweetie", His mother said as she put her arms around him, "You're not going to hurt her... Don't you remember holding Dino's niece?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"And did you hurt her?"

"... N-No..."

"Then why are you worrying _now_?"

"I... I'm jus' in shock, OK? The reality o' me bein' a dad is finally sinkin' in!"

"Son", Winfred said, "It's alright... Now let's go back in there and show Rosa that you're the dad you told her you were gonna be."

"Awright!" Wocky said, having renewed confidence, "I'm gonna go in there an' tell Rosa that I'm gonna be a good dad!"

He then stood up and marched back into Pearl's room, ahead of his parents.

"He's quite emotional", Winfred said, "Just like his 'Mamma'..."

"Winnie..."

**

Wocky walked back into the room as everyone asked if he was alright.

"Yeah", He said, "I'm fine."

He sat next to Pearl again and asked her, "Can I hold Rosa?"

"Of course", She replied as she handed her off to him, "Just be careful."

Wocky took her gently, held her in his arms and started talking to her as she still slept.

"Hey, baby gurl", He said softly, "Papa's here..."

Upon hearing her father's voice, Rosa opened her eyes for the first time, revealing them to be slender and brown just like his.

"Decided to wake up, huh?" He asked as he chuckled lightly.

Rosa continued to look up at him curiously.

"She sure is quiet", Winfred said, "First time I've seen that in the family..."

"She got it from Pearl", His son said, "Didn't you, Rosa?"

She just blinked at him.

Wocky then held her closer to him and said, "Yer so cute... I'm almost glad you didn't come out as a boy..."

"Really?" Pearl asked, "Why?"

"'Cause look at this pretty little gurl I got right here... "

He heard Rosa murmur a little bit.

"Aww, I think she's trying to talk to you, Wocky."

Wocky held his daughter close to his face and said, "What is it, Rosie? You like it when I call ya pretty?"

She blinked at him again, and he could've sworn he saw her smile.

"Oh, Wocky", Pearl said, "She has your smile."

"She certainly does", Plum said as she looked at her granddaughter.

She then bent down to her and said, "You've just gotten _all _of your father's features, didn't you?"

"The apple didn't fall very far from the tree, I see", Winfred chuckled.

"I thought she was gonna look like Pearl", Wocky said, "But seein' _this_? Amazin'..."

"I guess it was from you trying to teach her to be 'gangsta'", Trucy said, "When you thought she was a boy still..."

Wocky laughed and said, "Yeah, but she told me in Pearl's belly she didn't wanna be gangsta..."

He then looked at Rosa and said, "So instead, I'm gonna guard ya with my life... If I hear you cry, I'll come runnin' to ya... I'll comfort you, protect you... All the stuff a dad's gotta do..."

Everyone looked on silently as Wocky was bonding with his little girl.

He looked into her eyes, she looked into his.

He then kissed her forehead and said, "Rosie... I love you... My Lil'..."

Tears began to run down his face, amazed the beautiful little baby he was holding was his.

"Wocky", Pearl said, "You're-"

"I know I'm cryin', awright?! This is jus'... It's jus' the most amazin' thing I've ever felt in my life..."

He let Rosa lay her head on his shoulder as he put his head on hers lightly, as he began to rock her and sing the 'Kitaki Family Lullaby'.

The rest of the group winced a little, since Wocky was a terrible singer, but it didn't seem to bother Rosa in the slightest.

In fact, she was enjoying it so much that she began to fall back asleep.

"Aww", Trucy said, "Look at that~"

"Looks like _somebody_ enjoys yer singin'", Dino said.

"_Uggh", _Apollo thought, _"It's like nails on a chalkboard! How can a baby be soothed to sleep by that?!"_

"That's so sweet", Plum whispered to her husband, "Wocky's singing the lullaby to her..."

"Yeah", He responded, "I'm surprised she likes his horrible singing voice."

"Winfred!"

"What, he ain't no Pavarotti!"

When Wocky was finally done singing, Rosa had fallen completely asleep.

"Look, everybody", Wocky said, "My singin' put Rosa to sleep! Ain't that somthin'?"

"Y-Yeah", Everyone said nervously, "Of course..."

"I know my singin' sucks, but I'm glad_ somebody_ appreciates it... Right, Rosa?"

Rosa didn't do anything as she slept comfortably in his arms.

For the next hour or so, the family continued to admire their new member of the family.

**

A little while later, Dr. and Mrs. Zoobay came in to check on Pearl and Rosa.

"Hello", The doctors said.

"Hello", Pearl said.

"We just came in to see how you and your new baby are doing", Dr. Zoobay said.

"We're fine. Rosa's been doing very well."

"Yes", The doctor's wife said, "All the tests we did on her indicated that she's quite healthy! And she's such a beautiful baby too..."

She then walked up to Rosa, as Wocky still held her and looked at her.

She then directed her attention towards Wocky.

"I think I know where she got her looks from..."

Wocky closed his eyes and smiled, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand.

"Well, she _is _my daughter", He said.

"I'm sorry to have to break up the family", Dr. Zoobay said, "But it's time for Rosa to go back to the nursery."

Wocky held his baby close to him and said, "Nuh uh, you ain't takin' my baby gurl from me!"

"Wocky", Pearl said, "All the babies born here have to stay there, so the nurses can keep an eye on them. She'll be fine, don't worry..."

Winfred and Plum nodded as he looked to them, as everyone else spectated.

He then stood from his chair and handed Rosa to the doctor.

Suddenly, as if she knew she wasn't in her father's arms anymore, she started to wail.

"Oh, dear", Mrs. Zoobay said worriedly, "Shh, shh, it's alright, sweetie..."

Wocky felt his protective instinct go into overdrive as he saw this.

"She don't wanna go!" He said angrily, "Look at 'er cryin'! She was jus' fine till-"

Winfred put his hand on his son's shoulder and said, "Son, they're tryin' to do their-"

"Jus' shove it, Pops! She don't wanna go, I can tell!"

Plum stood up and said, "Do you think there's a way to have Rosa stay in here with Pearl?"

"Of course", Dr. Zoobay said, "It's quite common for mothers to have their babies with them in their room."

"Then why didn't ya tell us this before?!" Wocky said.

"You didn't ask", The doctor chuckled, "But we'll be happy to arrange a bassinet to be placed in here so you can both monitor her."

"That would be nice", Pearl said, "Could you please do that for us?"

"Sure", Mrs. Zoobay said, "We'll do so immediately."

"Thank you."

The doctor then handed back the still wailing baby back to her father.

"Rosie", Wocky said gently, "It's awright, the doc's gonna letcha sleep in here with us..."

Her crying was gradually soothed as she began to murmur and coo happily.

"This is so sweet", Plum said, "He really loves her, doesn't he?"

"Yeah", Winfred said, "He's holdin' up pretty well..."

"I think Wocky's gonna be a good daddy like you, Daddy", Trucy said to Phoenix as she clung to his arm.

"I think so too, Trucy", He responded.

"What do you think, Polly?" Trucy asked her half brother.

"I guess he's doing alright", Apollo answered, "I just hope he makes responsible decisions..."

"Oh, Polly, quit being so negative!"

"Wocky an' Lil' Pearly look real happy, don't they?" Dino asked as he held his girlfriend.

"... Yes", Natsumi answered, "... Their baby is so lovely, too..."

"Y-Yeah..."

"Soooo cuuuute~", Yoshiko said, "I wish I had a baby~"

Alfonse almost choked and said, "L-Let's jus' wait til we're married, aiite?"

"OK~"

"Dang", Alfonse said, "I can't believe Wocky actually has a _kid _now..."

"That's life", Masami said, "Maybe someday we'll have kids too..."

Her boyfriend blushed heavily and said, "Y-Yeah, sure..."

Soon a nurse came in and said, "Visiting hours are up."

Everyone groaned and started to walk out.

"Bye, Pearly", Maya said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright, Mystic Maya", Pearl answered.

Everyone else also hugged the couple and said their goodbyes as they walked out.

When everyone was gone, Wocky looked at Pearl and then at Rosa.

"_I can't believe it", _He thought, _"I actually got a family now... I halfta admit I'm still kinda nervous 'bout it, but I'm gonna try my hardest to protect these gurls... Don't gotta worry 'bout Pearl too much, since she's real strong-minded, but Rosa... Gotta be real careful with her..."_

He then held his daughter close to him and said, "Rosa, I promise I'll be a good dad to ya... You can count on that."

Pearl looked at them with tears in her eyes as she hugged him and Rosa.

"We're all together now", She said, "The new generation of the Kitaki family."

* * *

_**Reviews are nice, flames are not.**_

_**I love sweet, fluffy family scenes. **_

_**I also noticed that this is the longest chapter in this fic (I think.)**_

_**Stay tuned for the next chapter.**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Wocky and Pearl are starting to settle in as being parents, and we look into how they're handling their first night with Rosa.**_

* * *

Later that evening at the hospital, Wocky and Pearl were still in their room, Rosa sleeping in a bassinet the nurse had set up for her next to Pearl's bed.

There was also another bed set up for Wocky, since he demanded that he stayed with Pearl the whole night, and he had also changed into his night clothes, since it was close to bedtime.

"What a day today was", Pearl said, "I had no idea Rosa was going to come so fast! Her due date was still a few days away!"

"I know", Wocky said as he held her hand, "I guess she didn't wanna be in yer belly anymore an' she decided she wanted to come out."

"Well, I'm glad I was at Mr. Nick's place. Him, Trucy and Mr. Polly really helped me get through it."

"An' I was at work o' all places... I got really mad at Pops for makin' me work today, though I think he was mad at hisself too..."

"Did you shut down the shop?"

"Yeah. Pops made everybody leave pretty much. As soon as Paco called Pops, an' Pops told me you was havin' 'er, me an' him hauled ass outta there."

Pearl giggled and said, "I'm glad you didn't miss it, because I was afraid you were."

She looked over at Rosa, who was still asleep.

"Rosa is so cute", She said, "She looks just like you."

Wocky went over to the other side of the bed and sat on the bed to look.

"Yeah", He said, "She is ain't she?"

Pearl then pointed to her face and said, "She even has your birthmark."

"She does? When you find this out? I can't see it..."

"A little while ago when I was feeding her... And you have to look really closely to see it..."

Wocky looked closer at Rosa's face and saw two small marks on each cheek that looked like whiskers, just like his.

He smiled and said, "Yup, she's got the family birthmark awright."

Pearl smiled as well and said, "Like father, like daughter."

They sat silent for a while, until they started to hear a tiny whimpering sound.

"Uh oh", Pearl said, "Looks like we woke her up..."

She reached over and picked Rosa up and cradled her in her arms.

"What's wrong, Rosa?" Her mother asked her softly.

Rosa continued to whimper, squriming a little as she did so.

"Maybe she wants her diaper changed?" Wocky said.

"I just changed it a while ago", Pearl said, "And I already fed her too..."

Wocky thought for a minute and then said, "Give 'er to me, maybe I can help 'er..."

Pearl handed Rosa off to him and he cradled her as well.

"Rosie", He said as he stroked her cheek with one finger, "It's awright... Shhh..."

She looked up at him as she quieted down, and as his finger was close to her mouth, she took it and sucked on it.

Wocky would've immediately taken his hand away if he was his 'old' self, but this was his child, so he let her do it, since it seemed to soothe her.

"Aww~", Pearl said in a sweet tone, "She just wanted you to hold her~"

"Looks like it", Wocky said as he turned to his wife, Rosa continuing to suck his finger, "I guess she really likes me."

"Of course she does! You're her father!"

"I know, Pea..."

"... It's nice, because I never knew my father. He left my mother when I was born, so I never knew what it was like to have one..."

Wocky looked at Rosa and said, "But this lil' gurl does, an' hers ain't never gonna leave 'er or nothin'!"

Rosa was back to sleep at this point, and Wocky gently took his finger out of her mouth and wiped his hand on his pants.

"She's fast asleep again", Pearl said quietly as she watched him put Rosa back in her bed, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Aww, gurl", Wocky said as he blushed and scratched the back of his neck, "I-I'm jus' doin' my duties as a dad..."

Pearl smiled at him again and said, "I'm glad you're taking this so well... I didn't think you could do it, to be honest..."

"I know you doubted me", Wocky said, "'Cause o' my gangsta ways, huh? Didn't think I could be a dad?"

"Well... I was afraid that your... Um... 'Gangsta' ways would be a bad influence on our child..."

"Pearl, I ain't _that _stupid! I ain't nineteen years old no more! I'm grown now... I'm married an' I got a kid too. Did ya really think I'd be as crazy as I was back then?"

"I didn't really know what to expect, Wocky... I thought you wouldn't be able to cope with such a big responsibility..."

"Well, I've been provin' it to ya the whole time you was pregnant, an' I'm still provin' it now."

Pearl looked at Wocky as he sat back down with her and said, "I know, Wocky, but I wanted to make sure you were positively ready for this..."

Wocky looked back at her and said, "An' do you think I am now?"

She then leaned in, kissed him and said, "Yes, I certainly do."

He blushed again and said, "Pea..."

They both looked back at their daughter, who was sleeping peacefully.

"I wonder what she'll be like when she's bigger?" Wocky asked.

"I don't know", Pearl answered, "It's much too early to say right now... Let's just wait and see what happens..."

"Awirght..."

They fell silent and contiuned to watch Rosa sleep.

"I didn't think she would take to you so quickly", Pearl said a few moments later, "Maybe it _was_ true when Vitalia said babies can hear our voices inside of the womb."

"Yeah", Wocky said, "I guess. She seemed to like me when I heard her voice in there, but I didn't know what she would think when she finally saw me. I thought she would've been afraid o' me like Gloria was!"

"No. She knew who you were when she saw you I think, because she recognized your voice."

"Seemed like it, 'cause when they tried to take 'er away from me earlier she started cryin'. I almost wanted to punch that doc for makin' 'er cry like that."

"Wocky!"

"What?! I don't wanna see somebody threatenin' my kid!"

"He wasn't threatening her, Wocky. He was going to take her to the nursery."

"Well, I didn't want 'er bein' in there 'cause I want to be able to see 'er at all times, an' I don't want some random strangers handlin' 'er."

Pearl sighed and said, "Well, she's here with us now, so you don't have to worry."

"Yeah, I know."

The couple continued to watch their new baby sleep, seeing her move around a little.

She then made a cooing sound as she opened her eyes again.

"I guess she likes it when we talk about her", Pearl said with a giggle.

Wocky looked down at the tiny little girl and said, "You better get some sleep, lil' gurl, 'cause we're takin' you home tomorrow an' there's gonna be a big party for ya."

"That's right", Pearl said, "Mother's been planning it for a long time, hasn't she?"

"Ever since the first day we found out you were pregnant."

Wocky then turned back to Rosa and said, "Everybody can't wait to see ya again, an' ya still haven't met yer aunts, uncle and cousins yet. They're gonna get a real kick outta ya!"

Rosa just looked up at him with curious eyes.

"I think they'll be impressed", Pearl said, "Mother almost cried over how beautiful she was."

"She gets emotional over everythin'."

"So do you."

"Nuh uh!"

"Oh..."

When Wocky turned back to Rosa again, he noticed that she had her arms reached out, as if she wanted to be picked up.

"Rosie", He said as he picked her up, "You really like cuddlin' doncha?"

He then went to sit on his bed with her in his arms, and then lied on his back and finally placing her on his chest.

"There ya go", He said as she lied on him on her belly.

Pearl looked on almost in tears as she saw this sweet bonding moment.

Rosa faced her as she laid on her father's chest, going up and down slowly as he breathed, making her slowly close her eyes.

"She sleepin', Pea?" Wocky said as he turned his head to her.

"Yes", She answered as she smiled, "She just wanted to be close to you, that's all."

"Well, I can't let 'er sleep on me all night, y'know."

"Just let her stay there for a little while."

"I know, I know... I figured this would put 'er right out..."

"... And it sure did."

After a few moments, Wocky gently picked Rosa up and put her back in her bed.

"G'night, my sweet, delicate lil' Rose", He said softly as he kissed her on the forehead.

Pearl smiled at him as he did so.

"She is like a rose isn't she?" She asked.

"Yeah", He answered, "That's why I called 'er Rosa... 'Cause I imagined 'er bein' as sweet an' pretty an' dainty as a rose, like the ones I always see in Mom's garden."

"Aww..."

They sat silently for a few moments as Wocky climbed back into his bed.

"Pearl?" He asked a few minutes later.

"Yes, Wocky?"

"Um... Are you gonna send yer mom pics of Rosa? An' tell 'er 'bout 'er?"

"Of course I am! She's her granddaughter, and she has every right to see her. I'm going to send her another letter soon anyway."

"What 'bout yer sister Iris? Have you got any contact with 'er at all?"

"I haven't seen her in a long time... The last time I saw her was a few years ago when we visited Dahlia's grave..."

"Oh... Yer other sister?"

"... Uh huh..."

"..."

"... I might try to send her a letter as well, to Hazakurain Village, to see if she's still there..."

"Ya should! She's yer sister, ain't she? I don't really know what it's like to have a brother or sister, since I was the only kid my parents had."

"... It would be nice to hear from her again... She would be so surprised to hear that she has a niece now!"

"Yeah, she'd probably love it!"

"... I'll get started on that as soon as we return home tomorrow!"

Wocky smiled and said, "Hopefully yer sister will take to me better than yer mom... She sure is scary..."

He then shuddered.

Pearl giggled and said, "Oh, you!"

~*~

Meanwhile, back at the Kitaki's mansion, Winfred and Plum were in the parlor, also having a conversation.

"Oh, Winnie~", Plum weeped as she was holding her husband, "Rosa was so beautiful~ S-She looks just like my little Wockily-Poo~"

"Yes, yes, I know, dear", Winfred said as he handed his wife a tissue, "Never thought Wocky would actually have such a lovely baby..."

Plum instantly shifted moods and angrily slapped him.

"Winfred!"

"What?! I was just saying that-"

"Oh, don't give me _that _line again, you! You thought Wocky was gonna have an ugly baby, didn't you?!"

"N-No, of course not, honey! Why would I think _that_?! Wocky was a cute kid!"

Plum softened back up again and said, "Oh, Winnie~"

"..."

"... Well I'm glad the birth went smoothly, despite where Pearl was when it happened."

"I know... I _knew _something was wrong when I kept seeing her grab her stomach!"

"Well, what was she to do? She hadn't felt labor before, so she didn't know what was happening to her."

"That's true, but I kept telling her 'If you feel something different than usual, you better tell us right away'... And she didn't and ended up giving birth at Mr. Wright's home!"

"That must've been quite an experience for him."

"Oh, I know! But I'm _so _glad he knew what to do!"

"Yeah, me too..."

"..."

"... Oh, I can't stop thinking about that little Rosa! When she comes home..."

She then took out a small infant sized tiara from the drawer nearby.

"... I'm going to put this on her."

Winfred chuckled and said, "Plum, she's only a baby! She doesn't need to wear a _tiara_!"

"But she's Wocky's 'Little Princess'! I think it would cute on her!"

Her husband sighed and said, "Whatever you say..."

They sat silent again, until Plum interjected again.

"Oh, that reminds me! I need to set up everything for Rosa's 'Welcome Home' party tomorrow!"

She then ran off to the other room to set everything up for tomorrow's party.

Her husband chuckled to himself and thought, _"Fourty-six years old and she's still a firecracker..."_

~*~

At the Wright Anything Agency, Phoenix was sitting in Trucy's room, tucking her into bed.

"Daddy", Trucy said, "Wasn't Rosa just the _cutest _baby you've ever seen?!"

Her father chuckled and said, "Yes, she sure was. Almost as cute as you."

She giggled and said, "Thanks, Daddy~"

"..."

"I can't wait to see her at the party tomorrow! I'm gonna ask Pearl if I can hold her~"

"I think she'll let you."

"I hope so. I don't want to make her cry like she did when the doctors tried to take her away."

"And we don't want you to feel the wrath of _her _Daddy."

"Oh, Daddy, Wocky wouldn't get mad at me! I'm Rosa's auntie!"

"Just be careful, Trucy... I don't want to find out what happens when you threaten a Kitaki's young."

"Daddy, you're starting to sound like Polly!"

Phoenix sighed and said, "I'm just telling you to be careful... Rosa is very young, and I just want you to be careful with her."

Trucy smiled and said, "Alright, I will, Daddy."

He then kissed her and said, "Goodnight, sweetie, I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Daddy..."

He then walked out of her room and headed to bed himself.

_"What a day today was", _He thought as he headed to his bedroom, _"Pearls gave birth... In _my _house! Talk about a crazy, huh? Well, I'm glad she and the baby are OK, and I hope they're resting alright at the hospital..."_

After he put on his pajamas and climbed into bed, Phoenix thought to himself more.

_"... It feels like only yesterday that Pearls was Maya's sweet little ten year old cousin... Fiesty and lively, and not afraid to stand up for what she beleived in, even at such a young age... Now she's twenty-one and a new mother..."_

_"... It makes me feel so old... Even though I'm only thirty-seven..."_

He then thought about Pearl's mother and Iris.

_"... I wonder if Pearls is going to send her mother pictures of Rosa? I hope she takes it well if she does... I don't want her to reject her granddaughter... It would break her heart if that happened..."_

"... And what of Iris? I don't even know if Pearls still keeps in touch with her... I guess I'll find out soon enough..."

At that thought, he then fell asleep, dreaming of the woman he fell in love with almost twenty years ago.

~*~

Back at the hospital, Wocky and Pearl were already asleep, and Rosa was as well, having 'thoughts' of her own as she slept.

_"It was really scary having to come out of Mamma... All those strange lookin' people holdin' me an' stuff... But when I heard Mamma and Papa's voices, it made me feel a lot better..."_

"...Papa looked just like Mamma told me he would... Now I see why she calls him 'Fox King'. So what does that make me? 'Fox Princess'? I dunno, maybe I'll ask 'er when I learn how to talk..."

_"... Gramma looked really nice, too. I hope she takes good care of me too... Grampops looked kinda scary, but he kinda reminds me of Papa a little..."_

_"... I can't wait to see Auntie Trucy's magic tricks too... And I wanna pull Uncle Polly's 'hair'... It looks like 'bunny ears'... I kinda wanna pull Papa's hair too... He's got a weird curly thing what Mamma calls a 'quiff' and those 'foxy ears'... I want 'foxy ears' too..."_

_"... Papa sure is warm... Mamma is too, but I feel extra safe with Papa since he says he's all 'gangsta' and stuff, and knows how to fight 'bad people'..."_

_"... I can't wait to go 'home', so I don't have to sleep in this stuffy 'hospital room' anymore... I wonder what 'home' is like? I hope I have a nice room with soft pillows and a snuggly blanket... And the scent of fresh roses would be nice, too..."_

Rosa then yawned and had one last thought before she drifted off to sleep.

_"... I love you, Mamma and Papa..."_

* * *

_**Reviews are nice, flames are not.**_

_**Cute, cute, cute. Writing fluffy scenes with babies is just something I adore.**_

_**Everybody really wants to see that little Rosa.**_

_**And I just love how Wocky is bonding with her.**_

_**Next chapter coming soon, where Rosa finally gets to come home!**__  
_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Rosa's now a day old, and we're going to see how the couple is holding up after the day before.**_

* * *

The next morning, the sun was shining brightly through the windows of the hospital room.

Pearl was the first to wake up, turning over to the bassinet next to her to check on Rosa.

She was still sleeping, but Pearl reached over and picked her up so she could feed her.

She grabbed the bottle she requested from the nurse a few moments ago and said, "Rosa, time for breakfast."

As she introduced the bottle to the baby's mouth, she took it and slowly opened her eyes.

While Pearl was feeding Rosa, Pearl looked over to Wocky, who was fast asleep, his back facing her.

_"He was so exhausted last night", _She thought, _"I'll let him sleep a little while longer."_

She turned back to Rosa and watched her as she nursed her bottle.

"We're taking you home", Pearl said, "Just as soon as the doctor sees us and says it's OK."

Rosa just blinked at her.

"You're a very sweet baby... The way you look at me reminds me of your father."

Rosa continued to look at her mother.

"Though you seem a bit more attentive than him."

At this moment Rosa pulled away from her bottle and started to whine.

"Oh, Rosa, what's wrong?" Pearl asked concernedly as she held her daughter close to her.

Upon hearing this, Wocky snapped his eyes open and immediately jumped out of his bed and rushed over to Pearl.

"What's wrong with Rosa?! Why she cryin'?!" He asked frantically.

"I-I don't know", She answered as she rocked their tiny baby, "She was fine just a moment ago as I was feeding her, but all of a sudden she started crying."

Wocky sat on the bed and put his arm around Pearl, while he looked at Rosa trying to help her calm her down.

"Rosie", He said as he stroked her cheek, "You don't need to be cryin'... Yer a Kitaki, y'know, so you gotta be tough!"

"Wocky, she's only a baby. She can't really be 'tough' yet."

"I know, but I'm jus' tellin' 'er that so it'll make 'er feel better."

At this point Rosa had quieted down, and she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

Pearl looked at Wocky and said, "How come you're the only one that can get her to stop crying?"

"I dunno", He answered as he scratched his head, "Guess she's got some kinda thing for me."

"It kind of makes me feel like I'm not doing something right."

"Why? I think Rosa likes you too!"

"I don't know... I just feel like I'm not a good mother."

"Oh, Pea, you _are_ a good mom!"

Wocky then took Rosa from her and held her in his arms.

Rosa opened her eyes again and looked at him cutely.

"Yer Mamma says she thinks you love me more than you. Is it true?"

"..."

"Rosie, Mamma's real upset an' yer makin' her think she's not a good mom."

Soon Wocky started to hear Rosa's thoughts as he looked right into her eyes.

_"Mamma thinks I don't love her?"_

"Yeah..."

_"Why?"_

"She says whenever you cry, you won't stop until I comfort you."

_"O-Oh... W-Well, tell Mamma I'm sorry..."_

"Rosa says she's sorry."

"Oh, she doesn't have to apologize!"

"You don't gotta apologize, Rosie."

_"But I made Mamma sad!"_

"It's OK... She jus' wanted to know why I'm the only one that can make you stop crying."

_"Oh! Um... I dunno... I guess jus' 'cause you're my Papa, and Mamma told me that when I came out you would protect me and keep me safe, so that's why..."  
_

"Wow..."

"What is it, Wocky? What did she say?"

"She said that you told her that when she came out that I would protect her and keep her safe..."

"Aww... So I'm not a bad mother?"

_"No."_

"She said, 'No'."

"Thank goodness..."

"..."

_"Papa?"_

"Yeah?"

_"Tell Mamma I love her and that she smells good. What was that scent called again?"_

"Lavender."

_"Oh! 'Lavender'?"_

"Uh huh!"

Pearl titled her head confusedly and said, "What's Rosa telling you?"

"Oh, she jus' wanted me to tell you that she loves you and that she likes your lavender smell."

She giggled and said, "That's so sweet... I love you too, Rosa. And you're father likes my scent too."

Wocky blushed and said, "Pea..."

Rosa continued to look at her parents with her curious expression.

_"Mamma says we're going home today, Papa."_

"Yup, we are."

_"What's 'home' like?"  
_

"It's really cool, lil' gurl! We live in this _huge _house called a 'mansion'! Yer Gramma an' Grampops bought it before I was born, an' they were the first to live in it."

_You mean where I was born wasn't 'home'? Where was that?"  
_

"Oh, that was where your Uncle Nick and Auntie Trucy live."

_"Oh... Will I have my own room? Does it have soft blankets and fluffy pillows?"_

"Yup, Gramma took care of all that. You got vases of roses too and stuffed animals."

_"Really? That's nice. And what are 'stuffed animals'?"_

"They're these soft toys that you can sleep with, but we're startin' you out with lil' ones so they can fit in yer lil' bassinet at home."

_"Oh... What kind of animals are they?"  
_

"You got a bunny from Auntie Trucy and a fox from us."

_"'Bunny'?"_

"A bunny is this lil' fuzzy thing with long ears, a cottony tail an' buck teeth. They're real cute. I actually wanted one when I was lil' but I jus' got a stuffed one instead. Pops don't like animals in the house."

_"Aww, they do sound cute. Mamma told me what a fox was. She said they were our 'family crest'."_

"That's right, because we're sly an' cunnin', jus' like a fox!"

_"I think they look cute. I like their ears. I want foxy ears like you."_

"Well, I'll get Gramma to make you a footsie with a 'foxy' ear hood, how's that sound?"

_"Awright..."_

Rosa then yawned.

_"... Papa..."_

"You better go back to sleep, lil' Rosie, so you won't be sleepin' through yer 'welcome home' party."

_"OK, Papa..."_

Wocky then kissed her forehead as Rosa closed her eyes again and went back to sleep.

"She's back to sleep", He said as he put her back in her bed.

"That's good. What was she telling you? You were talking to her for a long time."

"She jus' said she can't wait to go home, an' that she wants a footsie with a fox ear hood."

"Aww..."

Wocky went back to sit next to Pearl on her bed.

"Rosa's a really cute lil' gurl", He said, "I think the family's gonna love 'er."

"Me too", She said, "I just hope my mother will..."

"Are ya _still _worryin' 'bout yer mom?"

"Of course I am! I don't know what she'll think of Rosa."

"Well, how did she react 'bout you bein' pregnant? You didn't really show me any letters she sent ya..."

"... She said that she was happy for me."

"Really?! That's great! See, you don't gotta worry 'bout nothin'!"

"I know, but she said she was worried about you being Rosa's father."

"I figured... Well, when you send yer letter, tell 'er I'm a good dad, awright?"

"I will."

They sat silent for a few minutes, until they heard someone come into the room.

"Good morning", Dr. Zoobay said as he walked towards the bed.

"Good morning, sir", Pearl said with a smile.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you."

The doctor looked at the boy he operated on four years ago and said, "How about you, Wocky?"

Wocky yawned and said, "I constantly kept wakin' up to check on Rosa."

"I see", The doctor said with a chuckle, "Well, let me take a look at the little one."

He went over to Rosa's bed and picked her up gently, causing her to wake up and mewl.

Wocky's protective instinct kicked in as he said sternly, "Watch how yer handlin' 'er, doc!"

"Wocky", Pearl said as she put her hand on his shoulder, "It's alright, Rosa's fine."

Dr. Zoobay thoroughly examined Rosa with his tools; He checked her heart, lungs, reflexes, eyes, throat and pretty much everything else.

He then wrote down the results on Rosa's medical chart.

"Your baby is very healthy", He said as he looked back at the couple and handed Rosa off to Pearl, "I beleive she's ready to go home."

"Thank you, sir", Pearl said, "I'm sure Rosa can't wait to see the rest of her new family."

She then looked at her and said, "Isn't that right?"

_"Uh huh."  
_

"I thought so!"

The doctor then turned to walk out as he said, "I'm going to go sign you out now, Pearl, so I suggest you get your things together."

"Alright, sir."

And with that, the doctor was gone.

Pearl got up out of her bed and went to change into her regular clothes.

"I'll be right back, Wocky", She said as she headed to the bathroom, "I'm going to change. Won't you put our things back into our suitcases?"

"Awright", He said as he started gathering his and Pearl's clothes and putting them back into their suitcases.

"What 'bout Rosa's stuff?"

"Your mother gave us that baby bag, remember? Just put it in there!"

"Awright, awright..."

He then proceeded to stuff Rosa's clothes and supplies in the bag Plum left for them the day before.

Suddenly he realized something and called out to Pearl again.

"Pea?"

"What is it _now_, Wocky?"

"What're we gonna carry Rosa in when we bring 'er outta here?"

"I'm going to carry her, Wocky..."

"Oh, never mind..."

When he was done putting their stuff away he said, "Well, I'm gonna call Mom an' Pops an' tell 'em to send Paco down here with Rosa's carseat set up."

"Alright", Pearl said as she came out of the bathroom with her kimono and her hair fixed up.

Wocky pulled out his cellphone and called his parents.

~*~

The Kitakis' mansion was buzzing with activity and excitement today. All of Wocky and Pearl's family and friends were already their, waiting for them to come home.

Plum and Winfred were in the kitchen, making refreshments for their guests.

"Oh, I'm _so _excited~", Plum said in a singsong voice as she was cooking, "My granddaughter is coming home today~"

Winfred chuckled as he was decorating the cake he made in honor of Rosa: Yellow batter with pink frosting, roses made out of frosting, and the words 'Welcome Home Rosa' written in red cursive letters.

"Yep", He said, "And the first female to be born into the main family."

"Oh, I _know, _it's so exciting~"

Suddenly the phone rang.

"I'll get it, dear", Winfred said as he set down the tube of frosting and headed towards the phone.

"No, I'll get it, honey", Plum said as she stopped him and grabbed it herself.

"Hello~"

_"Hey, Mom."_

"Oh, it's the new father!"

_"Mooooom..."_

"Oh, quit it! Anyway, how're things there?"

_"The doc's signing Pearl out an' we're comin' home soon."  
_

Plum squealed and said, "Oh, good! I'll send Paco down there right away!"

_"Awright, and make sure he installs Rosa's carseat, OK?"  
_

"Of course, sweetie! Well, your father and I are very busy tending to the guests of our party, so I'm afraid I must go now. I'll see you in a little while~"

_"Bye, Mom."_

After Wocky hung up, Plum immediately bellowed out, "PACO-"

And just like magic, Paco appeared into the room and said, "Yes?"

"Wocky just called and said he and Pearl are coming home with little Rosa! I want you to go install the carseat and drive down to the hospital to pick them up."

"Yes, ma'am", He said as he silently left the room.

_"I love being the Boss' wife~", _She thought as she continued cooking.

~*~

Back at the hospital, Wocky and Pearl were in the lobby waiting for Paco to pick them up.

"Do you have Rosa's birth certificate?" Pearl asked as she was holding their baby as she slept.

"I got it right here", Wocky said as he held it up.

"Be careful with it, it's very important."

"I know, I know."

"..."

"I can't wait to go home."

"Me either, babe. I can't wait to show Rosie 'round our house an' 'er new family."

They then sat slient again for a few moments, watching Rosa sleep.

"She is so beautiful", Pearl said as she broke the silence, "She has the most elegant look about her..."

"She got that from you", Wocky said.

"No she didn't... She got it from _you_. Rosa looks just like you, right down to her cute little nose."

"I am _not _elegant", He continued, "I'm the farthest thing from it!"

"I didn't mean that by your personality... I meant that your looks on her make her look elegant."

"... Really?"

"Uh huh."

Wocky then tried to do an 'elegant' pose, but it just made him look silly.

Pearl giggled and said, "Don't hurt yourself."

"I know, Pearl... It's jus' that nobody's said anythin' like that 'bout me before... It's kinda weird..."

"Yes, but I think you could pull it off... If you dressed nicer and you got rid of that quiff and that 'fox ear' fringe."

"Hey!"

Pearl giggled again and said, "I'm just kidding!"

Soon they heard the front doors of the hospital lobby open and Paco walked in looking for the couple.

"Paco!" Wocky called out.

The Kitakis' underboss turned his head towards the direction of Wocky's voice and then motioned for them to come to him.

They both stood up, Pearl holding Rosa while Wocky carried their luggage.

Paco then took some of it from his hands and said, "Don't hurt yerself, kid."

"Right..." Wocky responded as they walked to the limo parked outside.

~*~

When they got to the limo, Paco opened the door for Pearl so she could get Rosa in the carseat.

She struggled as she was trying to figure out how to fasten it.

"Here", Paco said as he fastened the carseat for her effortlessly, "Like this."

Wocky looked at him in amazement and said, "How'd you do that?!"

"Had to do it for Big Wins an' Lil' Plum when you was a baby."

"Oh."

"That's so sweet", Pearl said as she got in the seat next to Rosa, "Thank you, Mr. Paco."

"No problem, hon... But jus' call me Paco, we're family..."

"Alright then..."

Wocky got in after her and put his arm around her, with the luggage on the floor.

Paco then shut the door and got back in the driver's seat, and then drove away back towards the mansion.

* * *

_**Reviews are nice, flames are not.**_

_**More family time! It's nice that Rosa's finally gonna go home.**_

_**Stay tuned for the next chapter where Rosa finally arrives home!**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Here we are, Chapter 17 after a very long hiatus. Hope you enjoy.**_

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Kitaki's mansion, everyone was still getting ready for Rosa's 'welcome home' party.

"They should be here any minute", Plum said to the guests in the living room, "Wocky just called and said they're on the way."

"Horray!" Trucy said, "Did you hear that, Daddy? Wocky and Pearl are coming home with Rosa!"

"Yes", Phoenix said, "But keep your voice down, Trucy, because you don't want to scare her."

Trucy lowered her voice and said, "Alright, I will."

She then turned to Apollo and said, "Isn't this nice, Polly? You know, Rosa wouldn't have even been born if it wasn't for you, because otherwise-"

"I know", Apollo said, "I've heard this a million times, you don't have to repeat it."

"But it's true", Cousin Vinny butted in, "If it wasn't for you takin' his case, Wocky woulda ended up in the clink an' that golddiggin' broad woulda got 'er mits on the family's fortune! I kept tellin' 'em she was bad news, but he was too dumb to listen... But you really helped straighten 'em out, Paulie. You made 'em see the light."

"Are you kidding?! When they took Alita into custody, Wocky was completely in denial about what had just happened! He was furious with me!"

"I know, man, but it took a long time for him to realize that she was usin' 'em, and when it did... He went into some serious depression..."

"Depression?" Trucy echoed sadly.

"Yeah... Uncle Big Wins and Aunt Lil' Plum did their best to try to cheer him up, but nothin'... He jus' kept sayin' that Alita was his one and only true love, and that there won't nobody out there as good as her... But now..."

"... He's happy", Trucy said, "All of those bad memories behind him, and with someone that loves him genuinely."

"That's right, lil' girl", Vinny said, "He'd probly think this is sappy, but... This is the one thing in life that he wanted the most... A family."

"Really?" Trucy said with tears in her eyes, "I knew he had a soft spot, but not one _that_ big!"

"Well, ain't it obvious? Did you see the way he acted with lil' Rosa? It's almost like bein' a family man was in his genes."

"Awww... O-Oh, Daddy, I-I think I'm gonna cry."

Phoenix handed his daughter a handkerchief and said, "It's alright, Trucy."

"H-Hey", Cousin Franco said as he walked into the room with his brother Phillipe, "Why's Shorty cryin'?"

"I jus' told 'er 'bout Wocky's depression story", Vinny said.

"Oh", Phillipe said, "I thought it was 'cause she was still sad 'bout that retarded Chicken Wuss dumpin' 'er for another chick."

"Why are you bringin'_ that _up? You still tryin' to go after her?"

"Duh."

Phillipe went over to Trucy, sat next to her and put his arm around her saying, "Don't worry, babe, Wocky ain't sad no more. He's got a wife an' kid now. An' as for that stupid Rocco dumpin' you, don't worry 'bout that, either... I can fix what he broke..."

"No, Phillipe", Trucy said, "I can't be with you. I'm really not ready to be with anyone right now, you know? Rocco was nice, but it was clear that he got tired of me and wanted to move on. As for you... Well... You're a jerk."

Phillipe let go of her and said, "What?! Y-You think _I'm _a jerk?! Chicken Wuss was a jerk for dumpin' you!"

"Well, I don't like the way you talk down on people and you're just really mean and rude! I know you're Wocky's cousin, but it's the truth!"

Phillipe then stormed out of the room and said, "Fine! Be that way! Ain't no guy wanna be with you anyway!"

When he was gone, Trucy clung to her father and cried again.

"Don't worry", Franco said, "When Dad hears 'bout this, he's gonna get one helluva ass whuppin'."

Soon Plum came back into the room saying, "They're here! Wocky and Pearl just pulled in!"

Soon everyone got up and went to the front room to greet the new parents at the door.

~*~

Wocky and Pearl had just gotten out of the limo when Paco took Rosa out of her car seat.

"Be careful with 'er", Wocky said, "Y-You might-"

"Calm down, Wocky", Paco said, "She's fine."

He then handed her off to Pearl and said, "Here you go."

Pearl nodded as they headed to the front door.

"Are you ready to go in?" She asked, "Because once we do, we start our new lives as parents.. It'll be a brand new world..."

Wocky took a deep breath and said, "... Yeah, I think so. Well, here goes nothin'..."

Paco opened the door for them as they walked inside, greeted by all their guests standing in the doorway.

As they walked in, everyone was silent as Winfred and Plum walked towards them to look at the new baby.

"Can I see Rosa for a second?" Winfred asked Pearl as he held out his hands.

"O-OK", Pearl said as she handed her daughter off to him.

He looked at her silently, taking in all her features as Plum stood next to him.

"She's so lovely", She said to her husband.

"Very quiet", He said, "Doesn't seem like nothin' much bothers her... She's just sleeping like there's no care in the world."

They stayed like this for a few minutes, until Rosa opened her eyes and looked up at her grandparents.

"Look", Plum said as she broke the silence, "She has Wocky's eyes."

"You didn't notice before at the hospital?"

"No. I was just so overwhelmed I didn't get a chance to take her all in."

Pearl spoke up and said, "Um, excuse me, but... What is going on?"

"This happens every time somebody in the family has a baby", Wocky said, "Pops looks at 'em and tells us if they're worthy of the Kitaki name."

"W-Well she is, isn't she, Father?" Pearl asked her father-in-law.

"Of course she is" Winfred said, "I sense something really special about her."

"Really?"

"Yeah... The vibe I'm getting from her... It's nothing like I've ever felt before. I have a feeling this little girl is gonna grow up to be quite a young lady... She could even be next head of the family material."

Everyone gasped at his comment in awe and amazement.

"W-Wow", Wocky said, "You serious, Pops? But I thought only men were supposed to be the head of the family..."

"Well, son, it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. If somehow you and Pearl are unable to have a son, then Rosa's gonna have to be head number six."

"That would be kinda cool, but I don't want Rosa to have that big of a responsibility. I want her to grow up and be like an ordinary girl. And I think it won't be impossible for us to have a son."

"Oh", Pearl interrupted, "T-That reminds me. Mystic Maya?"

Maya walked over to Pearl and said, "Yeah, Pearly?"

"Um... Do you think it might be possible for Rosa to learn channeling?

"Hmm... Well, I suppose, since she _is_ of Fey blood, but I think she should make that decision on her own. At this point we really don't know if she has any spiritual power."

"I suppose that's the best decision. Thank you, Mystic Maya."

Maya nodded and let Winfred and Plum finish.

"Interesting", Winfred said, "We might have someone in the family that could do spirit channeling."

"That would be so frikken awesome, man!" Franco said in an obnoxiously loud voice, "I would totally get 'er to channel-"

Before he could finish his father Giuseppe smacked him on the back of the head.

"You idiot!" He snapped, "Keep your voice down, there's a baby in here!"

Everyone looked at Rosa to see if she was going to start crying.

As she started to whimper, they all got the 'uh-oh' look as they looked from her, to Franco, and to Wocky, who had a death glare at his sixteen year old cousin.

"Shh, shh", Winfred said as he tried to calm Rosa down, "It's alright."

"Frank, keep yer big mouth shut!" Wocky snapped at him, "This is a real delicate situation and-"

"Please calm down, Wocky", Pearl said as she put her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to ease his anger, "He didn't mean it, and Rosa's alright now, see?"

He looked over and saw his father holding his daughter, who went back to sleep.

"She was just startled", Plum said, "Nothing to worry about."

"Anyway", Winfred continued, "It's quite apparent that Rosa seems like she'll grow up to be quite a smart young lady and that she'll be quite capable."

He then gave Rosa back to Pearl and said, "Rosa Kitaki is now an official member of the family, and here's to her good health and positive future."

After that everyone clapped softly to avoid spooking Rosa again, then they headed to the living room to sit down and look at her.

**

When they got there, everyone sat down on the couch as Wocky and Pearl sat down as well, their feet tired from standing for a long time.

"Can I hold her, Pearl?" Trucy asked, "I promise I won't scare her. Daddy already said it's OK."

"Alright, Trucy", Pearl said as she handed Rosa off to her, "Just be careful."

"Hello, little Rosa", Trucy said, "Do you remember me from yesterday? I'm your Auntie Trucy."

Rosa opened her eyes halfway and looked up at her lazily, puckering her lips slightly as if she sucking.

"Tee hee, you have the same fish face as your daddy!"

"I don't have a fish face!" Wocky said in embarrassment.

"Sometimes when you do your so called 'fighting pose' and try to make a mean face, you end up looking like a fish!"

Trucy then did a fish face at Rosa and giggled again.

"I-Is that true, Pearl?" Wocky asked as he did his 'mean' face in front of a mirror, "D-Do I really have a... 'Fish face'?"

"Of course not", Pearl said with a giggle, "You have a handsome face."

"You hear that, Shorty? I ain't got no 'fish face'!"

"I know, silly! I was just playing with you!"

Trucy then turned back to Rosa and said, "What do you think, Rosa? Do you think your daddy has a fish face?"

Rosa just looked up at her.

"I guess that's a no."

She then showed her to Apollo and Phoenix and said, "That's your Uncle Feenie and your Uncle Polly."

"Um", Apollo said, "Hi there."

Rosa immediately took interest to him and looked right into his eyes, as if she knew something.

"What, do I look funny?"

"Looks like she likes you", Phoenix said.

"Maybe she's trying to say something", Trucy said, "Maybe... 'Thank you.'"

"For what?"

"For saving her daddy, of course!"

"O-Oh... Well, your welcome, Rosa... Wait a minute, how do you think she would know about that?"

"Don't you remember what Big Wins said, Polly? Rosa's smart!"

"Trucy, she's only a newborn, she's not capable of understanding this yet."

"I know, but I think she can sense that you helped him."

"How?"

"I don't know. Just a feeling."

Phoenix laughed and said, "She certainly does have an intelligent look about her... Almost reminds me of you, Pearls."

"Really?"

"Sure. Rosa is part of you, after all. I have a feeling she'll be a lot like you when she's older."

Pearl blushed and said, "I-I... I suppose so..."

Suddenly Rosa started squirming in Trucy's arms and whimpering again.

"Oh, no! What's the matter, Rosa? Do you want your Mommy?"

She then handed her back to Pearl and said, "I think she wants to be back with you."

"What's wrong now, Rosa?" Pearl said, "Are you hungry?"

She then took out her bottle, handed the baby off to Wocky and said, "I'm going to fill this up. I'll be back in a minute."

"U-Um, a-awright", Wocky said nervously as the fussy baby continued to squirm.

He then held her close to him and rubbed her back as he said, "It's awright, Rosa, Mamma's comin' back with yer bottle..."

"Why did she start crying so suddenly?" Trucy asked.

"Babies do that all the time", Plum said, "Since Rosa's too young to talk, crying is the only way for her to communicate to us what she needs."

"Oh..."

Soon Pearl came back with Rosa's bottle and gave it to Wocky.

"_I _gotta feed 'er?! B-But-"

"Don't worry, it's fine. If you do something wrong, I'll tell you."

"U-Um... A-Awright, here goes nothin'..."

He tried to remember what Pearl taught him about feeding Rosa as he held the bottle in front of her mouth.

She refused it and continued to cry.

"S-She didn't take it!"

"Let me see her, Wocky... Maybe she's not hungry."

Pearl took Rosa from him and then looked inside her diaper to see if her assumption to her daughter's reason for crying was true.

"... U-Um..."

"What's wrong, Pea?"

"... I-It looks like Rosa needs her diaper changed again."

"Oh, is that all? Lemme se-"

Wocky's face almost went white from what he just saw.

"I am _not _touchin' that!" He said as he put his hands over his nose, "T-That... That's jus'..."

"Oh, yes you are! I've changed all of Rosa's diapers so far, and I'm going to make you change this one!"

All of Wocky's cousins laughed at him.

"Haha, Wocky's gotta change a dirty diaper!"

"Shaddap! ... Awright, awright, I'll do it! I... I'll be right back..."

As Wocky walked out of the room, Pearl followed him and said, "I'm going to show you how to do it, so don't get yourself worked up too much."_  
_  
**

Meanwhile, Wocky and Pearl had gotten upstairs to Rosa's room and laid her down on the changing table next to her crib.

"Alright, Wocky", Pearl said as she took Rosa's footsie off, "I'm going to only show you this once, so pay attention."

Pearl gently lifted Rosa's feet up and pretended to take her diaper off.

"You lift her legs up like this and take it off."

Wocky walked up to Rosa and imitated the same action, hesitating as he tried to take Rosa's diaper off.

"I _really_ don't wanna know what she made in there..."

"Wocky, please, just take it off. You don't want her to wear a dirty diaper, do you?"

He took a deep breath and said, "A... A-Awright..."

He proceeded to take the diaper off and his eyes went wide in horror.

"Auggh!"

"Oh, would you calm down?"

"B-But-"

"Alright, now you have to toss the diaper in the trash and wipe Rosa's bottom."

She handed Wocky the box of baby wipes as she took one of them out saying, "You go from front to back, like this."

"U-Um..."

He then lifted Rosa's legs and wiped how Pearl told him, while wrinking his nose and trying to look away.

"Wocky, you can't look away!"

"But it looks so disgusting! And it smells real bad!"

"I know it's not the most pleasant thing in the world, but we have to do this! We're Rosa's parents, and it's our responsibility to take care of her every need!"

"... You're right", Wocky said as he threw the dirty wipe away, "It was our decision to have a kid, and I shoulda known this..."

Pearl smiled and said, "That's right. Now..."

She took a clean diaper out of the cabinet and said, "Now you have to put this on her."

Wocky attempted to put the diaper on and said, "This right?"

Pearl looked at it and said, "You put it on backwards."

Wocky made a straight face as Pearl fixed the diaper.

"There, all better."

She then put Rosa's clothes back on and pick her up into her arms.

"Are you OK now, Rosa?"

She didn't respond as she looked up at her mother.

"C'mon, gurls", Wocky said as he took his wife's hand and walked out of the room, "Let's go on back to the party.

**

When they got back downstairs, Plum greeted them and said, "Is she alright now?"

"Yes", Pearl answered as she rocked Rosa lightly, "She just needed her diaper changed. Wocky did it, don't you know?"

Wocky's mother laughed and said, "Did he now?"

"Yes, but I had to help him put it on; He put it on backwards by accident."

"Oh, I remember Winnie did the same thing."

Pearl giggled and said, "Really? I guesss Wocky's more like his father than he thinks."

Wocky blushed and said, "I ain't_ nothin_' like that ol' geezer!"

"Oh, hush", Plum said, "Now let's get back to the party, shall we? Everyone's been waiting for you.

**

"Welcome back, Pops", Winfred said jokingly as he laughed.

"Hey!" Wocky snapped, "Don't call me 'Pops'! I ain't nobody's-"

He then looked at Rosa and said, "Uh... Never mind."

"Wouldn't you beleive it", Plum said to her husband, "Wocky changed his first diaper!"

"Really?"

"Yes, but the poor dear put it on backwards, just like you did with him!"

Wocky's father chuckled and said, "Oh, I remember that. You gave me such a hard time about that-"

"Did not!"

"Yes you did!"

"I most certainly did not!"

"You most certain-"

"Mooom, Pooops, stop iiiiiiiit", Wocky whined, "You're embarassin' me in front of everybody..."

"Tee hee!" Trucy giggled, "It's cute when they fight."

"Until she sheathes that sword", Apollo said, "If I had a woman like that, I'd let her win every fight, just to keep myself from getting..."

He then gulped.

Phoenix laughed and said, "Trust me, I would too if I had _that _sherman tank of a mom as a wife."

Trucy giggled at his comment and Apollo didn't bother to react.

Wocky and Pearl sat back down with everyone else and continued to converse with everyone.

"Have you written to your mother about this yet?" Phoenix asked.

"Not yet", Pearl answered, "I'm going to start writing the letter tonight before I go to bed."

"What're gonna tell 'er?" Wocky asked, "I'm kinda nervous 'bout what she might say 'bout Rosa."

"I'm going to give her a picture of her, tell her about how the birth went, and how well you're doing as a father, to ease the fears she may have."

"Thanks, gurl", He said, "I 'prechiate it. I know your mom doesn't like me, but if she hears I good I am with Rosa she might change 'er mind."

"I hope so", She said, "This is her only granddaughter we're talking about, so I hope she'll be able to accept her..."

"Don't worry", Maya said, "I think she will. Even though she did all that bad stuff to us thirteen years ago-"

"I know, Mystic Maya... What she did to make me the Kurain master was cruel and selfish, but I've already forgiven her for it, as you know... Because she's my mother, and I love her, no matter what."

"Wow", Wocky said, "If that was me in that situation, I would _never _forgive 'em for it..."

"I understand, but what's past is past. You of all people told me that. Remember when we first went to People Park together and told me the story of when _she_ betrayed you? I was so sad over how badly she treated you... But then you told me that you'd gotten over it and that it was in the past, and that you shouldn't worry about it... It made me feel a lot better about my situation, and I was able to forgive Mother after that..."

"... Wow, that's real deep, Pearl."

"Who woulda thunk Wocky could teach stuff like _that_?" Vinny said.

"I think he learned a lot from that experience", Plum said, "To not take his life for granted, and to be more careful with choosing his women."

"Mooom..."

Everybody then looked back at Rosa, who was fast asleep in Pearl's arms.

"Aww, look", Trucy said, "Looks like this party pooped her out!"

"I'm going to go put Rosa to bed", Pearl said as she walked out of the room, "I'll be back in a minute."


	18. Chapter 18

_**The party has winded down and Wocky and Pearl are spending time together with Rosa.**_

* * *

Pearl walked up the stairs to Rosa's room as she held the sleeping baby in her arms.

_"This has been quite a surreal experience", _She thought as she walked into the room and sat in the rocking chair, _"I always knew someday I would be married and have a child, but I had no idea how... Enlightening it was going to be..."_

She looked down at Rosa in her arms, all bundled up in the pink and yellow blanket that Plum had made for her.

_"Rosa is such a sweet little baby; I didn't think she would be, considering who her father is."_

Rosa opened her eyes a little and looked up at her mother.

"Hello, my little Rose", Pearl said with a smile, "Did you like the party?"

The baby continued to look at her.

"I hope you did, because your Gramma started planning it the day I found out I was pregnant with you."

Rosa blinked in response.

"I still have to write to your other grandmother, who is my mother of course. I don't speak to her much now, since she's been in prison since I was eight years old. It's a bit hard to explain what happened, so maybe I'll tell you about it when you're older..."

The baby yawned and closed her eyes.

"... And maybe I'll try to contact your aunt Iris. She was in prison too, but they let her out four years ago, so I think she's back in Hazakurain, hopefully. I haven't seen her in so long, I don't think she'd recongize me if she saw me."

At this point Rosa was fast asleep, being soothed by her mother's voice.

"Oh", Pearl giggled, "I guess I bored you with my little banter, huh?"

She then stood up from the chair and put the baby in her crib.

She kissed her on her forehead and whispered, "Have a nice nap... My Little Fox Cub."

Pearl then walked out of the room and went back downstairs to the party.

**

"I'm back", Pearl said as she walked back into the living room.

"Rosa's sleepin'?" Wocky asked.

"Yes, I just put her down for a nap."

"Phew... Now we can get a lil' break..."

Wocky then slouched on the couch and yawned.

"Bein' a parent is a lot harder than I thought it was."

"Haven't we told you that all along?" Winfred said.

"Well, yeah", His son answered, "But you're lucky you got such a quiet one... Boy, with you, you were always fussin'!"

"No he didn't", Plum said, "He only fussed when he needed or wanted something, just as Rosa did just now."

"No, Plum... Even when he got what he wanted he would start cryin' over something else."

She shook her head and said, "Oh, you..."

Her husband then looked at his brother and said, "Wasn't Wocky a crybaby? Don't you remember?"

Both Plum and his wife Catarina glared at him.

"N-No, I don't!"

"You babysat Wocky plenty of times, Giuseppe! Catarina, don't you remember?"

"Of course I do", She said, "That's when we were thinking about having kids of our own, so I guess he was our 'practice' baby..."

Giuseppe and Winfred went blank faced.

"Stoooooop", Wocky whined.

"Look", Vinny said as he laughed and pointed at him, "He's whinin' now, jus' like you did when you were in diapers!"

"How would you remember?! You were five back then!"

"Yeah, but I was old enough to remember your loud mouth!"

Wocky stuck his tounge out at him and gave him a raspberry.

"Alright, that's enough", Winfred said as he hushed them up.

He then looked at the clock and said, "Six o' clock..."

"Dinner should almost be done", Plum said as she walked back into the kitchen, "I've been cooking all day..."

"Mind if I help you?" Pearl asked.

"Oh, no, you need rest. You've just given birth a day ago for goodness sake! Paco's in here helping me, so don't worry."

"A-Alright..."

"Very helpful, that one", Giuseppe said, "Almost makes me wish I had a daughter..."

"Hey!" Phillipe and Franco said angrily.

Pearl sat down on the couch next to Wocky and put her arms around him.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

"Mother told me to rest. I've just given birth, you know."

"Well why doncha go to bed?"

"And miss dinner? No, I can't..."

He picked his wife up in his arms and said, "Naw, gurl, you look real tired. You've been on your feet all day. If Mom says rest, you'd better listen to 'er."

As Wocky walked to their room, Trucy sighed dreamily and said, "I wish someone would sweep _me _ up in their arms like that..."

Phoenix chuckled and said, "Maybe someday, Trucy."

**

When they got to the bedroom, Wocky tucked Pearl into the bed and sat down next to her on his side.

"Aren't you going back to the party?" Pearl asked.

"Naw", Wocky answered, "I wanna stay here with you."

"What about dinner?"

"I'll just tell Mom to bring it in here."

"Oh."

They sat silent for a few moments.

"Pearl?" Wocky asked a while later.

"Yes?"

"You like Rosa so far? I mean, is she OK to you?"

"Of course she is; She's such an angel."

She then looked at the baby monitor on the nightstand that Paco set up eariler.

"It was a good idea to get one of these, since Rosa's room is all the way upstairs."

They listened to the monitor, which at the moment was silent, since Rosa was still sleeping.

"Things've been quiet so far", Wocky said.

"Good", Pearl said, "That means we've been doing things right."

Suddenly Winfred came into the room and said, "Dinner's ready. You comin' or what?"

"I'm stayin' in here with Pearl", His son said, "Tell Mom to brings us plates, will ya?"

"Sure thing, Your Majesty", Wocky's father said jokingly as he walked out of the room.

Wocky then looked back at Pearl and said, "Do ya think Rosa can hear us through that thing?"

"I'm not sure", She answered, "I think it's only made that you can only hear one way."

"Probly."

They sat silent again as Pearl pulled out two pieces of paper, a pencil, and two copies of a photo taken of Rosa that was done at the hospital.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"I'm going to write my letter to Mother, and another to my sister Iris."

"Oh. Yer gonna send 'em pictures too?"

"Of course! I want them to know what she looks like!"

Just then Plum walked in with their dinner plates.

"Here you are", She said as she sat them down on the table nearby.

She looked at Pearl and said, "You writing your letter to your mother?"

"Yes", Pearl answered, "And to my older sister Iris."

"I see. Well, I hope they respond back and say good things."

"Me too."

Wocky's mother then walked out of the room as she said, "If you need anything, just let me know."

Pearl then turned back to her stationary and started to write her letter to her mother.

"Make sure you tell 'er I'm a good dad, OK?" Wocky asked as he ate his food.

"Don't worry", Pearl said as she wrote and ate at the same time, "I'm definately not leaving that part out."

"An' say that Rosa's a real nice baby, and that she's cute, an'-"

"Alright, Wocky, slow down! You're talking faster than I can write!"

Wocky then stopped talking and proceeded to stuff his face.

They said nothing as Pearl furiously wrote her letter, and after about twenty minutes she stopped.

"There", She said as she looked at the letter, "All done!"

"Can I read it?" Wocky asked.

"Sure", Pearl answered as she gave it to him.

"Awright, let's see..."

_Dear Mother,_

_How are you? I'm doing fine. I'm writing to tell you some very special news._

_At the time I am writing this, I finally gave birth yesterday afternoon. I was at Mr. Nick's home when I went into _

_labor. Don't worry, though, he got me the help that I needed, and when the baby was born, the paramedics took me_

_to the hospital._

_We had a baby girl, and we named her Rosa (Wocky picked the name). I put a picture of her with this letter, so you can see what _

_she looks like. Mystic Maya thinks she's the cutest baby she's ever seen. She's a very sweet baby, and she's very attached_

_to Wocky. She seems to have a very special bond with him, which I'm glad of. Don't worry Mother, Wocky's_

_been a responsible father so far. _

_Maybe someday when Rosa's older, I'll let her meet you in person, because I want her to know you. I'm not sure what _

_she'll think of you being in prison, but hopefully she'll love you no matter what. I have a feeling she will, as I do you._

_Love,_

_Pearl_

"What do you think, Wocky? Is it good enough?"

"Yeah, that's good."

Pearl then wrote the address to the prison on the envelope and put the letter inside.

"I'll mail that off to you tomorrow", Wocky said, "On my way to work, OK?"

"Alright, that sounds-"

Suddenly the baby monitor picked up the sound of Rosa crying.

"Oh, no", Pearl said in a worried tone, "Sounds like Rosa's awake..."

As she proceeded to get up, Wocky stopped her and said, "Naw, gurl, let me go tend to 'er. You've been with 'er all day, so you stay here an' rest while I go up there."

Pearl layed back down and said, "Thank you."

As her husband left the room, she smiled and thought, _"I'm glad he's this enthusiastic about this..."_

**

Wocky headed up the stairs to his young daughter's room, going to see why she was crying.

He walked inside the room and headed to Rosa's crib, as she lay on her blanket on her back with her little eyes and nose wet from tears.

"C'mere", He said as he picked her up and wrapped her up in the blanket.

Rosa still cried as her father tried to calm her down.

"Don't cry angel", He said softly, "Daddy's gonna take good care of ya..."

He then walked out of the room with her and proceeded to the kitchen to get her bottle.

**

"Awright", Wocky said as he got Rosa's bottle and went to heat up her baby formula, "Don't worry, Rosie, I'm gonna feed ya, jus' hang on..."

Wocky's mother walked into the room and said, "Oh, well look at you, Mr. Man! Fixing Rosa's bottle for her, are you?"

"Yeah, Mom", Her son said as he waited for the formula to heat up, "I wanted to give Pearl a break, so I'm doin' this for 'er."

"That's very nice of you", Plum said as she took Rosa out of his arms, "Let me take her for a moment so you don't have your hands quite so full."

She then rocked her granddaughter and said, "It's alright, Little Rose..."

"Heh", Winfred chuckled as he walked into the kitchen to put away the leftovers, "Little Plum is holding Little Rose."

"Oh, you", His wife laughed.

Wocky then came back with Rosa's bottle filled up.

"Awright", Wocky said as he took her from his mother, "Here's yer bottle, Rosie."

He put the bottle in her mouth and she took it gladly took it.

"That's a good gurl", He said as he walked back to his room with her.

"Isn't that sweet?" Plum said as she hugged her husband, "It's like looking back in time to when you were tending to Wocky like that."

"Yeah", Winfred said, "I'm glad he's handling this so well. I wasn't sure if he could do it, but now that I see it, he can."

Plum let Winfred go and said, "I know..."

She then sighed and said, "Now that the party is finally over, would you mind helping me clean up?"

"Sure, dear", He said as he began to load up the dishwasher.

**

Wocky walked back into the bedroom with Rosa, and saw Pearl writing again.

"You still writin'?" He said as he sat down next to her.

"Yes", She said as she looked up from her stationary, "I'm writing to Iris now."

"You sure she's gonna still be at that temple?"

"She should be... She was sentenced to seven years in prison for being an accomplice of the murder of my aunt, Mystic Misty..."

"_What_?! You never told me that! Your _sister _helped somebody murder your _aunt_?!"

"I thought I did."

"Well, I don't remember hearing all that!"

"... I-I'd rather not go into it now... It's very hard for me to talk about..."

Wocky went silent, feeling stupid.

"I-I see", He said a few moments later.

"Anyway", He said as he tried to change the subject, "I finally got Rosa calmed down; Gave 'er 'er bottle an' she went out like a light."

Pearl giggled and said, "She looks so cute when she's sleeping."

"Yeah", Wocky said with a smile, "Like a lil' kitten or somethin', with her slanty lil' eyes..."

"Aww, she does..."

Pearl reached out and petted Rosa's soft brown hair.

"Hello", She said, "How are you this evening?"

Rosa didn't respond as she was snuggled into her father's chest.

"You really love your father, don't you?"

She opened her eyes and looked up at Pearl curiously.

"You have very pretty eyes, Rosa."

Rosa continued to look at her.

"She seems real shy", Wocky said, "Well, I mean that she's probly gonna be shy when she's older."

"Maybe", Pearl said, "But perhaps she'll be like you: Strong-willed, stubborn and sharp tongued?"

She then giggled as Wocky said, "Hey!"

"I'm sorry", She said, "It's just that we have such different personalities, I'm not sure which side of the spectrum she's going to be on."

"She'll probly be like both of us... She looks like me, but she could end up being like you and me."

Wocky looked at the letter in Pearl's lap and asked, "Did you finish writing to yer sister?"

"Yes", Pearl answered, "Would you like to read it? I must warn you though, it's a little long..."

He wrinkled his nose and said, "Hmm, naw..."

Pearl giggled lightly and said, "Alright, then, I'll just put it in the envelope and you can send it off tomorrow."

"Awright."

They then looked back at their daughter, who was asleep again in Wocky's arms.

"She is so sweet", Pearl said with a smile as she put her stationary away.

"She sure is", Wocky agreed as he stroked Rosa's cheek with his finger.

Pearl looked at the clock and read 7:00 PM.

"I guess everyone has gone home", She said, "The party must be over by now."

"Yeah", Wocky said, "When I went in the kitchen earlier everybody was gone an' Mom an' Pops were cleanin' up."

"Oh."

They looked back at Rosa, who was still sleeping.

"I can't get over how beautiful she is", Pearl said as her eyes started glittering with tears, "I couldn't have asked for anything better."

She then looked at Wocky and said, "Thank you for giving me such a good baby."

Pearl then leaned in and kissed him.

He blushed and said, "T-Thanks, I guess..."

Rosa opened her eyes at this moment and started cooing and flailing her arms.

"What's the matter, Rosie?" Wocky asked his little daughter, "You want a toy?"

"I'll take her", Pearl said as she grabbed Rosa from his arms, "And will you go set up her bassinet and find her her Foxie-Chan, please?"

"Pea, she has her own room", Wocky said, "Why can't she jus-"

"Do it. Now."

"Awright, awright..."

As Wocky put Rosa's bassinet next to their bed he thought, _"So much for getting to have our 'alone time'."_

"Where's Foxie-Chan, Pearl?"

"It's in her room, I think."

"Awright, I'll be back."

As Wocky left the room, Pearl held Rosa close to her and rubbed her back.

"It's OK, little one", She said softly, "Papa's coming back with Foxie-Chan."

She then got up and put her in her bassinet and kissed her on her cheek.

"_Phew"_, Pearl thought, _"Taking care of a baby is hard work, I'm glad Wocky's here to help me."_

She then climbed back into bed and lied down on her pillow.

"_I hope Iris and Mother will be alright with Rosa... I'm sure Iris will, but I'm not sure about Mother..."_

Pearl started to think back to when she was eight years old, when Morgan was first sent to prison for her accomplice charge.

"_I... I still can't believe that Mother wanted Mystic Maya dead... Just because of..."_

Her mind then jumped to two years later, when Maya summoned Dahlia's spirit away from her so she wouldn't be killed by her.

"_I almost let Dahlia kill Mystic Maya... I..."_

She then snapped out of it and said aloud, "That was eleven years ago! I don't need to be worrying about that anymore..."

Pearl looked at Rosa, who had her eyelids shut tight.

"Rosa", She said softly, "I promise I will be a better mother to you..."

Her eyes then began to well up with tears as she said, "... Than my mother was to me... I-I... If you end up having a great talent or power when your older, I promise I won't try to take advantage of it like Mother did to me..."

Tears were rolling down her face at this point.

"I was so stupid back then!" Pearl shouted as she started to cry more.

As this was happening Wocky walked back into the room with Foxie-Chan.

He looked at Pearl and said, "Pearl, I got-"

When he saw her crying, he went up to her and said, "What's wrong? D-Don't tell me yer havin' post-pardon depression like what Mom told me 'bout."

"I-It's not that", Pearl said to him, "I... I was just thinking about the past, and it upset me, that's all."

"You thought 'bout yer mom and yer sisters again?"

"... Y-Yes..."

Wocky wiped her face with a tissue and said, "Why are you still upset 'bout that? Yer mom's in prison, Delilah's... Well... _Dead_, and Iris sounded like she was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Pearl sniffed and said, "You're right. However, I promised Rosa that I will never treat her like how my mother treated me. Yes, I love her, but thinking back now... She took advantage of my powers as a spirit medium. She wanted to use them for her own personal gain."

"Yeah, I know the story... She wanted Maya dead so you could be the village leader instead of her, right?"

"Yes."

"And Delilah-"

"Dahlia."

"Whatever- She won't all that either, was she?"

"No... She was a horrible, cruel woman... Hidden behind a fake innocent demeanor..."

"Kinda reminds me of Alita."

"I thought the same when we saw her in the prison that one day. I couldn't help but notice that they had the same air of vanity. "

"Yeah... But, that's all in the past now. I got over my issues, didn't I? Sure, I was real upset 'bout it for a long time, but things got better after that."

"I know..."

Wocky then hugged Pearl and said, "It's awright, we're fine now... We're married and we got a little girl right there..."

He then pointed to Rosa, who had slept through the entire conversation.

Pearl looked over to her and smiled.

"That's right", She said, "We need to focus on Rosa... She really needs us now."

"She'll always need us, Pea. We're her parents."

She nodded and said, "Uh huh."

She then kissed him and said, "Here's to a hopeful future for Rosa... Our perfect little princess..."


	19. Chapter 19

_**This chapter's going to be a bit different, in that you'll see Iris and Morgan read their letters from Pearl.**_

* * *

The sun was rising over Eagle Mountain. This region is much like Kurain Village, except that it was settled in the mountains, and has a much larger landscape.

Such landscapes here include Hazakura Temple, which houses the spirit mediums of the Fey clan who are guardians of the Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique, who is that this time Maya. Two notable members are Sister Bikini and Pearl's sister Iris.

Bikini is Iris' adoptive mother of sorts, because her father had left her there when she was very young, so she was raised by her. She is much like Plum in personality, except that Bikini is much shorter and she claims often that her back likes to act up 'violently', and wears a robe and hood, indicating that she is a nun.

Nearby is Heavenly Hall, a simple, rundown shack that doesn't seem to be used for much except for storage.

If you walk past there, you'll come across Dusky Bridge, which is an old suspension bridge over Eagle River that lets you get to the Inner Temple if you cross it.

When you do cross it, you get to the Inner Temple. This area is used for spirit mediums to train under the 'Special Course', which involves sitting on a block of ice, being doused by freezing cold water, and reciting a chant thirty thousand times. It also used to have a hanging scroll with a picture of Misty Fey, the former Kurain Master, which has now been replaced with a new one with Maya's image.

Iris was walking down the path out of the temple to the mailbox to check the mail at Bikini's request.

_"I haven't heard from Pearl in quite some time", _She thought as she opened the mailbox and pulled out some envelopes and a magazine of some sort, _"It's been about four years, hasn't it? Since we visited Dahlia's grave..."_

She then turned around and walked back to the temple to meet with Bikini for breakfast.

**

When Iris got back to the main hall, she saw Bikini setting plates for their breakfast.

"Did we get any mail, dear?" She said as she looked up at her.

"Yes", Iris answered as she put the envelopes down on the table, "We got a few things."

Bikini looked through all the letters as she said, "Junk, junk, junk- Oh, my 'Entertainment Digest'!"

"You subscribe to 'Entertainment Digest', Sister Bikini?"

"Of course I do!" The sixty year old woman laughed heartily, "I gotta keep up with what's going on in the world!"

"Right..."

Bikini continued to flip through the mail until she came across a letter with some sort of special seal on it.

"Oh, my", She said as she looked at the return address, "T-This can't be!"

"What?" Iris asked in a worried tone.

"T-This letter is from... Pearl Fey... 'Kitaki'?"

Iris looked at Bikini confused and said, "That's our Pearl Fey, right?"

"It must be, but... Oh, let's just open it and find out what's going on!"

She then handed the letter to Iris and she proceeded to open it, careful not to tear the fancy fox seal.

Inside were many sheets of paper, indicating a very long letter.

"Oh, my", Iris said, "Pearl wrote quite a bit!"

Bikini looked at Iris frantically and said, "What are you waiting for?! Go on, read it!"

"A-Alright, then..."

Iris then cleared her throat and began to read the letter aloud:

_Dear Iris,_

_How are you? It's been a while since I last spoke to you. I beleive it was around the time after you got out of prison four years ago, when we went to visit Dahlia's grave. Hopefully you and Sister Bikini are doing well at the temple._

_Anyway, I'm writing to tell you that a lot has happened in the past four years. About a year after we visited the grave, I went to stay with Mr. Nick and Trucy for a while. If you're wondering, Mr. Nick adopted her when her father passed away. She's two years younger than me. She's a magician; You know, like the ones on TV? She also has a half-brother named Apollo; He's a lawyer like Mr. Nick. _

_"Mr. Nick?" _Iris thought, _"Can that be...?"_

"Sounds like she's still keeping in touch with that Phoenix fellow", Bikini said, "He was such a nice man. And that was nice of him to adopt a child."

"I suppose", Iris replied.

_"I wonder if he remembers me... Oh well... Anyway, back to this letter..."_

_Well, while I was there, Trucy took me to a little pastry shop, and I met the strangest looking boy I'd ever seen in my entire life. His name is Wocky Kitaki. I put a photo in with this letter so you can see, because it's hard to describe what he looks like with just words. _

Bikini giggled jovially as she said, "Well, I'll be! Looks like little Pearl's found herself a new friend!"

Iris took out the photo that Pearl indicated in the letter and her eyes went wide.

"Oh, my", She said as she put her hand over her mouth.

"Let me see", Bikini said as she looked at the photo.

"Oh, would you look at that", She said, "What an adorable boy he is! A little offbeat looking, but adorable nonetheless!"

"Y-Yes", Iris said nervously, "I guess he is..."

She then went back to the letter:

_At first I thought he was really scary and that he had a rough personality, but the more I got to know him, the more I realized how sweet he was. We became friends after that, and then about a month later, we went on a date. By the end of it, I knew he was my 'special someone'. _

"Aww", Iris said, "That's so sweet..."

"How lovely", Bikini said with a laugh, "That's like Pearl; Always trying to see the good in people."

"That's what I always liked about her", Iris said, "She was a very strong judge of character; She was quite honest when it came to her feelings, and this seems like she really loves this... 'Wocky Kitaki'."

"Go on, go on!" Bikini said as she sat on the edge of her seat, "What else does she say?!"

_We had some good times together; That is, until three months later, when I had to go back home to Kurain. Wocky was devistated that I was leaving. The whole experience made me realized that I loved him and that I couldn't be without him, so six months later, I left the village and came back to live with Mr. Nick and Trucy, so I could be with Wocky._

_And that very same day I returned, Wocky had asked me to marry him. I of course said yes, and we got married seven months later. I wish you could've been at the wedding, Iris; It was so beautiful. Maybe if I get a chance to come up to Hazakurain I'll tell you more about it._

"Oh, that is soooo romantic~", Bikini cried as she blew her nose into her hankercheif, "I can't beleive we missed out on that!"

"I can't beleive it either", Iris continued, "Pearl is all grown up... She's a married woman now."

"Yes, yes", Bikini said cheerfully, "I bet she's so happy... Oh, come now, read the rest of the letter!"

Iris nodded as she continued:

_Wocky and I had a very happy first year being married, and that also brought something more special: About a few weeks after our first wedding aniversary, I found out I was pregnant. I was very nervous about it, since I didn't know what to expect, or what the baby was going to be like, but it turned out alright._

"Oh, my", Bikini cried again, "And she has a baby now, too?! Oh, I'm just getting sooo ooold~"

"That's amazing", Iris said, "Pearl was really brave to do that; I'd be too afraid to have a baby."

She then went back to reading the letter:

_And, as of yesterday afternoon, I gave birth to a baby girl: We named her Rosa. I put a picture of her in this letter as well, because she's just too beautiful for words. She's a very sweet and lovely baby, and she's very attached to us, especially Wocky._

"She gave birth _yesterday_?!" Bikini said in an excited tone, "Oh, my, Iris! I'm a grandmother! A-And your a-"

"I'm an aunt, Sister Bikini", Iris said with a smile.

"Rosa', huh?" Bikini continued, "What a cute name."

Iris then looked for Rosa's photo in the letter and took it out.

"My", Iris said softly, "Look at her, Sister Bikini..."

Bikini looked at the photo and gasped loudly.

"Oh my goodness~ That's little Rosa? She's just as cute as a button!"

She then compared the photo with Wocky's and pointed at their cheeks simultaneously.

"She even has his little whisker marks", She said, "That is so cute~"

"Aww", Iris said, "She is very sweet looking... She's definitely Pearl's daughter."

"You bet!" Bikini said with a hearty laugh, "I can't wait to meet her!"

Iris then finished reading the letter:

_I hope she grows up to be a strong woman, because I don't want her to become influenced by power and greed like Mother was... I want her to be strong like Mystic Maya and Mystic Misty... _

_Well, I guess that is all I have to say for now, Iris. I hope I get to see you soon._

_Take care,_

_Pearl_

After Iris had finished reading the letter, she and Bikini both fell silent at the mention as they thought about that trial from eleven years ago.

"... Oh, Pearl", Iris said as her eyes filled up with tears, "I... I'm so sorry that I contributed to that horrible incident..."

"It's not your fault", Bikni said as she tried to comfort her, "It was all Morgan's doing! She is an absolute sham to the Fey name, commiting all those petty crimes just so she could be part of the main family!"

"Sister Bikini..."

"But that's all in the past now, right Iris? That woman was served justice... And, well, you did your time, as well..."

"I know... I'm glad Pearl is happy now with her own family. I can't wait to meet them... I just don't see why she hid all this from us for so long."

"Maybe she was afraid of what we would think of Wocky", Bikini assumed.

"I'll ask her when I send her a letter back", Iris said, "There's a lot of things I want to know about him... He seems a bit... Suspicious."

"What do you mean? He looks like an absolute sweetie!"

"I don't know... I just have a feeling that there's something bad about him."

"Oh, that's nonsense! Pearl said herself that he's a goodhearted fellow!"

"I'll take your word on it, I suppose. I'll ask anyway so I get all my assumptions out of the way."

Bikini then sat down and said, "Now then, shall we have breakfast?"

"Certainly, Sister Bikini."

And with that, they began to eat their breakfast and continued to chat about Pearl.

**

Meanwhile, about two or three hours away at the city prison, Larry Butz was making his rounds at the order of his boss, the Warden.

"This job is so boring"_, _The thirty-seven year old man said to himself as he walked down the dark, lonely hallway, "But it was worth it, because I met the love of my life..."

He then pulled out a clover pendant of some sort as he said dreamily, "Alita Tiala."

Larry kissed it and then put it back in his pocket, and continued to walk, until he ran into his boss.

"Hey!" The warden said sternly, "Come here!"

Larry walked to him briskly and saluted him as he said, "Y-Y-Yes, sir?! What would you, like, sir?!"

"I'm a woman, you numb-nuts!" The warden said in her deep voice, surpassing Plum's level of huskiness.

"S-Sorry, sir- I-I mean ma'am!"

She then handed him a stack of letters and said, "I'm puttin' you on mail duty! I want you to deliver these to ALL the inmates, you understand me?"

"Y-Yes, sir-"

The warden glared at him as Larry corrected himself, "Ma'am, ma'am!"

She snorted again as she said, "And when yer done, you report back to me... Got it?"

"Y-Yes... Ma'am..."

Larry boss then turned her heel and walked off as he went to deliver the mail to the inmates.

As he was walking to the area where the inmates were housed, he looked through all the letters to see if any of them were for Alita.

"Hmm... Hmm... I don't see any letters for her..."

He then gave up and went inside the door, leading to the prisoner's cells.

**

After he got there, he went straight to Alita cell to chat with her.

"_I wonder how she's doing this morning", _Larry thought as he walked past all the scary inmates staring at them from behind bars, _"I'll definitely bright up her day with a visit~"_

When he reached her he noticed that she was writing in a notebook from what he could tell.

"Hello, my little four leafed clover~", He said cheerfully to his 'girlfriend'.

Alita looked up when she heard Larry's voice and turned to him.

"Good morning... Larry", She said plainly, "I'm sorry, but... I'm a bit busy right now."

"With what?"

"It's none of your business."

"Aww, c'mon, babe, I thought you could tell me _anything_..."

Alita sighed in annoyance and said, "Alright, fine, but you _better_ promise not to tell _anyone_."

"Alright", Larry said as he nodded.

She then looked around and whispered in his ear, "I'm planning to break out of here."

"Oh, wow, really?! How're gonna do that?!"

"Shh!"

"O-Oh, sorry..."

"Well", Alita said with a devilish smirk on her face, "I was sort of planning on getting you to help me..."

"Really? But... I can't do that! The boss would-"

"Who cares about that bloated whale of a warden? She's too stupid to notice anything around here... Anyway, I was going to wait until everyone was asleep..."

She then leaned in closer so she made sure no one could hear her but Larry.

"... And get you to take the cell keys from the warden."

Larry's face went white at the thought of doing this; He knew if he did, the warden would would be furious.

"B-But Alita", He said, "I-I can't do that... I might get fired!"

Alita then looked at him innocently and said as she batted her eyes, "Don't you love me, Larry? Don't you want me to be free?"

Larry then tilted his head in thought and said, "Yeah, sure... Well, alright, I'll do it... For us."

She then giggled and said, "I knew I could count on you!"

"Sure", He said, "I'll do anything for you, sweetness~"

Larry then realized he still had the mail the warden wanted to deliver to the inmates.

"You're on mail duty again, I see?" Alita asked.

"I guess so", Larry answered, "I didn't see anything for you in here..."

"Who cares?" She said, "Nobody ever sends me anything; Not even my parents."

"Oh..."

Larry kept looking through the letters until he came across something he'd seen before.

_"Hey, it... it's that fox seal again..."_

"What are you looking at?" Alita asked as she saw him staring at the letter closely.

"This letter... It's from-"

"Let me see that!"

She snatched the letter from his hands and scoffed when she saw the address label.

"_The Kitakis again?"_ She thought, _"Why can't I get away from them?"_

"I think it's from Pearl again", Larry said, "Y'know, that little girl I used to know?"

Alita payed no attention to him as she opened the letter that was meant for Morgan Fey.

"Alita, what're you doin'?! Don't-"

"Shut up", She said as she looked at the letter, "Can't you see I'm being nosy?"

She then began to read it to Larry:

_Dear Mother,_

_How are you? I'm doing fine. I'm writing to tell you some very special news._

_"That you finally divorced Wocky?" _Alita thought as she snickered to herself.

"Special news?" Larry asked, "What could that be...?"

_At the time I am writing this, I finally gave birth yesterday afternoon. I was at Mr. Nick's home when I went into _

_labor. Don't worry, though, he got me the help that I needed, and when the baby was born, the paramedics took me_

_to the hospital._

"Wow", Larry said in amazement, "She had her baby at Nick's place?!"

_"This is just too hilarious", _Alita thought again, _"That stupid girl actually had that brat's baby?! I bet it's hideous."_

_We had a baby girl, and we named her Rosa (Wocky picked the name). I put a picture of her with this letter, so you can see what _

_she looks like. Mystic Maya thinks she's the cutest baby she's ever seen. She's a very sweet baby, and she's very attached_

_to Wocky. She seems to have a very special bond with him, which I'm glad of. Don't worry Mother, Wocky's_

_been a responsible father so far. _

Alita took out the photo of Rosa from the envelope and had an expression of disgust.

_"Just as I thought", _She thought as she looked at the picture, _"Looks like a little rat."_

"Can I see the picture?" Larry asked as she handed him the photo.

"Aww, she's cute", He said, "Don't you think so, Alita?"

"Adorable", She lied.

"I'm so happy for them", He said, "I bet Nick and Maya have their hands full!"

He then laughed as he thought about his old friends.

Alita continued to be in her own little world as she shook her head.

_"I can't beleive I almost married that little punk! What on earth was I thinking?! Well, he had a lot of money, and there was no way I could pass that up... And only a year after I was sent here he finds some other broad and spreads his seed... How sickening."_

"You OK, my little peach?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, sweetness", Alita said, reverting back to her 'innocent' side, "Just planning our little rendevous for tonight."

She then gave the letter back to Larry and said, "Here, take this back. I'm done with it."

Larry then attempted to seal the letter back up to hide that someone opened it.

"So, uh", He said as he was heading out, "I'll see you later; Gotta go deleiver these letters."

Alita waved sweetly as she said, "Bye~"

When he was gone she put on her evil grin again and chuckled to herself.

_"Finally, I'll finally get out of this prison and get my revenge on that little brat!"_

**

Morgan Fey was in her cell in solitary confinement, looking at her past letters she'd recieved from Pearl.

_"Oh, my precious Pearl", _She thought as she sighed, _"I still can't beleive that you're going to have my grandchild... And with some... G-Gangster's son..."_

She then folded the letter up and put it away.

Pearl's mother still had a bit of a grudge towards Wocky, mostly due to the fact that she did not approve of his background, but she tried to reassure herself that Pearl knew what she was doing and would keep him in line.

_"Pearl's a smart girl, she wouldn't let him make any bad decisions..."_

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Come in", Morgan said as the person on the other side opened the door.

Larry walked in and handed her the letter that Pearl wrote to her.

"Another letter from your daughter, ma'am", He said.

She took the letter as she said, "Thank you, I've been waiting for this."

He walked out briskly before she somehow found out that Alita had opened it.

When he was gone Morgan proceeded to open the letter, not noticing that it had been opened.

She then started to read the letter:

_Dear Mother,_

_How are you? I'm doing fine. I'm writing to tell you some very special news._

"Oh, dear", Morgan said aloud, "D-Don't tell me..."

_At the time I am writing this, I finally gave birth yesterday afternoon. I was at Mr. Nick's home when I went into _

_labor. Don't worry, though, he got me the help that I needed, and when the baby was born, the paramedics took me_

_to the hospital._

Morgan gasped as she said, "Oh, my! You should've been at the hospital in the first place... But I suppose you didn't know what labor pains felt like. Good thing you were there, dear."

_We had a baby girl, and we named her Rosa (Wocky picked the name). I put a picture of her with this letter, so you can see what _

_she looks like. _

"I have a... Granddaughter?" She said with a smile, "Hopefully all of your beauty shines through to nullify the genes of that... Boy..."

She then took out the photo of Rosa lying on a blanket at the hospital dressed in a pink footsie outfit.

Morgan's eyes softened as she saw the baby's face.

"She's so lovely", She said, "Even though she looks like... Erm... 'Wally', was it?"

She didn't mind at all that Rosa was dominated by Wocky's features; She still found her beautiful, no matter what.

"I can't have ill feeling toward this child just because of her father", Morgan said, "This is Pearl's child as well, and I won't deny that. I finally got my wish for a granddaughter, and what I got... Was what I expected."

_Mystic Maya thinks she's the cutest baby she's ever seen. She's a very sweet baby, and she's very attached_

_to Wocky. She seems to have a very special bond with him, which I'm glad of. Don't worry Mother, Wocky's_

_been a responsible father so far. _

"That's a good girl, Pearl. Keep that Wally straight!"

_Maybe someday when Rosa's older, I'll let her meet you in person, because I want her to know you. I'm not sure what _

_she'll think of you being in prison, but hopefully she'll love you no matter what. I have a feeling she will, as I do you._

_Sincerely,_

_Pearl_

"That would be lovely", Morgan said as she folded up the letter and put it in her collection of other letters, "I hope she turns out as perfect as you, dear Pearl."

She then took out some stationary and a pencil and wrote a letter back to her.


	20. Chapter 20

_**The final chapter. Hope you enjoy.**_

* * *

About a week later, at the Kitaki's mansion, Wocky was walking down the driveway and to the mailbox, checking to see if Pearl got any letters from her family yet.

_"She's been waitin' on 'em for a week"_, He thought as he reached the mailbox and opened it. He pulled out a few bills, a magazine and two letters addressed to Pearl.

_"Looks like they came."_

Wocky walked back up to the front door of the house and went back inside.

**

"Did we get any mail, dear?" Plum asked as she set the plates on the dining room table for breakfast.

"Yeah", Wocky asked as he closed the door behind him and put the mail down, "We got some bills, one of your 'home' magazines, and some letters for Pearl."

"Oh... Well, Pearl's still asleep, so put those letters somewhere safe so she can see them later."

"She's _still _sleepin'?!" Wocky asked as if he was shocked.

"Son, she's a new mother", His mother said, "She was up all night with Rosa, wouldn't you know."

"She should've asked me for help! I would've taken over for her."

"When I went to check on her last night, when I got up to use the restroom, I asked her if she asked you to help. She said, 'It's alright, Mother, I can handle it. I don't want to wake Wocky up.'"

Wocky looked at Plum and said, "Rosa is both of ours... We should both be takin' care of 'er."

"I know, sweetie, but I guess she didn't want to disturb you."

"Well, Pearl needs to stop bein' so-"

"So, what, Wocky?"

Wocky and Plum both turned around to see Pearl standing there in her sleeping gown, her hair completely loose and a little messy.

"U-Um, g-good mornin', Pea", Wocky said nervously, "Didn't see ya there..."

"What do I need to stop being?"

He didn't say anything as Plum interjected, "He said he wants you to stop being so beautiful! You're the light of his life, don't you know..."

"Really...?" Pearl asked in a doubtful tone.

"Y-Yeah", Wocky answered, "Mom's right! You're so beautiful it almost hurts to look at you!"

She blushed a little and said, "Oh... T-That's very sweet."

_"Phew", _Wocky thought as he picked up Pearl's letters off the table, _"That was a close one!"_

"Some letters came for you", He said as he gave them to her, "They're from your mom and your sister."

"Oh, good!" She said, "But before I read them I need to get Rosa and feed her."

"Awright", Wocky said as he and his mother walked to the living room, "We'll be in the den."

"OK, I'll be there in a minute."

**

In the den Wocky and Plum noticed tha t Winfred was already in there, reading the newspaper.

"Mornin', Pops", Wocky said as he sat down on the couch, "Didn't know you was here."

"Yep", His father responded, "Been up since six in the mornin'."

"Sheesh", His son said, "Ever since we had Rosa, that's what time me and Pearl usually go to bed..."

"Pearl was still up when I got up. She was tendin' to Rosa, but I noticed that you were still sleepin'. I thought that 6:00 AM was your shift, son."

"I know, but Pearl kept tellin' me she didn't need help. She wanted me 'To get my rest'."

"Taking care of a child is a joint effort", Plum added, "You were doing so good with the hourly shifts."

Soon Pearl walked into the room with Rosa in her arms nursing her bottle.

"I'm here", She said as she sat down next to Wocky, "Now give me the letters, please."

Wocky handed them to her and said, "Awright..."

Pearl took the top envelope and opened it to see a two page long letter with the special Hazakura Temple stationary.

"It's from my sister", She said.

"Go on", Plum said, "Read it to us... I'd like to hear what she said."

"Alright..."

Pearl then cleared her throat a little and began to read the letter:

_Dear Pearl,_

_It's nice to hear from you again, after not doing so for about four years. Sister Bikini says hello as well._

Pearl smiled when she thought of Sister Bikini.

"Who's that?" Wocky asked, "You never told us you had another sister."

Pearl giggled and said, "Oh, no, no! She's not my sister! That's the title all the nuns have a the temple. Sister Bikini is the head nun at Hazakura Temple... She's the same age as Father, I think..."

Plum looked at her husband, as if to say, "Don't you get any ideas."

Winfred just looked at Pearl and said, "She sounds like a very nice lady."

"She is", Pearl said with a smile.

She then continued the letter:

_I'm very glad that you've found your 'special someone' and that you have a daughter. _

_I feel like I've missed out on a lot after being in prison for seven years..._

"Oh", Plum said, "Poor thing..."

_Well, everything is fine here. Sister Bikini is still having back problems, but she still manages to hang in there._

_We've been getting a lot of mediums in training trying out for the 'Special Course'. We recently had someone named_

_Kumiko who actually managed to pass, which hasn't been done in quite some time; Most people give up after a few_

_hours. I have a feeling she has potential to be the next Kurain Master, but unfortunately, like you and I, she's not_

_in the main family, of course. She is most certainly welcome to join the Hazakura nunhood... Though she told me_

_she had a 'long distance' boyfriend..._

"Wow", Pearl said, "Kumiko passed the Special Course! Mystic Maya didn't tell me that before."

"Hey", Wocky said, "That's that girl that my little cousin Donnie was tellin' me about!"

"Isn't ten years old a little young for her to have a long distance boyfriend?" Plum asked, "I mean, I met your father when I was around nineteen or twenty."

"You had boyfriends before me, dear", Winfred said.

"But you're the only one that counted", His wife said.

"That's cute though", Pearl said, "It's never too early to find your 'special someone'."

"Yes", Her mother-in-law agreed, "I guess it's so..."

_And also, if it isn't too much trouble, I would like to invite you and your family to come visit us at the temple._

_Whenever you can make it here is fine, just let us know. Sister Bikini wants to see little Rosa very much, as do_

_I._

_She looks very cute from what I saw from her picture. She eminates your gentleness, Pearl, and I have a _

_feeling she'll grow up to be like you... Or maybe she'll be like your Wocky, though I'm not sure what_

_he's like._

_Well, I have to go now; Sister Bikini and I have to go look after the novice mediums in the Inner_

_Temple._

_Sincerly,_

_Iris_

"I'm glad Iris is doing well", Pearl said as she set the letter down and put Rosa's bottle down.

"Your sister sounds like a very nice girl", Plum said, "How old is she? You never told us, I don't think..."

Pearl looked at her and said, "Oh... Well, she's much older than me. She's going to be thirty seven this year."

"Dang", Wocky said, "Your mom must be older than my mom!"

Plum looked at her son and said, "How rude!"

"I-It's alright", Pearl said, "Honestly... I don't even know how old my mother is... All I know is that she is Mystic Misty's older sister, and she would've been sixty one this year if she were still alive."

"Oh."

"So yes, Wocky", Pearl continued, "She would be older than your mother, I suppose. She is quite young compared to her, anyway."

"Oh, my", Wocky's mother said as she blushed.

Pearl then went to the second letter and picked it up.

"And speaking of my mother", She said as she opened the letter, "I'm going to read what she said... Hopefully she took all of this as well as Iris did..."

She then began to read it:

_Dearest Pearl,_

_It is very nice to hear from you again, and congradulations on your new baby. She's very beautiful, and I hope_

_she'll grow up to be as lovely and brilliant as you someday. It really brightened my day up._

Pearl looked at what she had written in disbelief.

"Wow", Wocky said in disbeleif as well, "She... She actually likes Rosa?!"

"It looks that way", Pearl answered, "I'm a bit shocked, really... I thought she would disown her because of... Well, you know..."

"Well I'm glad", Winfred said, "Your mother loves you, and because of that she's going to love your granddaughter as well."

"Y-You're right, Father", Pearl said, "Mother does love me very much... She even got herself in trouble for me... I hope when Rosa is older she will love her back and not be cold towards her once we tell her about what she did."

She then continued:

_As for that... Boy, I'm glad he's stepped up and is being a good father to your little Rosa. You better keep an eye on_

_him and make sure he makes good choices for her, alright? This is my first granddaughter, and I want_

_the best for her, just like I wanted the best for you._

Pearl looked at Wocky and smiled.

"I think Mother is starting to warm up to you", She said.

"I dunno", He said, "She might jus' be sayin' that."

"Maybe so, but at least she wants the best for Rosa."

Pearl then finished reading the letter:

_I know in the past that I made some really bad decisions... I was just so jealous of my sister being in the main_

_family, and look what it lead to... Oh, well, we all make mistakes, don't we? You could've been a great master_

_for Kurain, but I suppose Mystic Maya was the most appropriate choice, I suppose... _

_Well, I don't want to droll on any longer, my dear, so I bid you adieu and farewell._

_Take Care,_

_Mother_

Pearl put the letter down and said nothing.

"She really wanted you to be the leader of that place, huh?" Wocky asked.

"... Yes", Pearl answwered as she rocked Rosa in her arms a little, "But Mystic Maya was the rightful Kurain Master, not me... But, as I said before, that was long ago and it's all in the past now."

She then looked at Rosa and said, "... This is what I have now... I have a family and child of my own. I wouldn't trade anything in the world for this."

She looked back up at the Kitakis and said, "I'm glad I met you all... Mother Plum, Father Winfred..."

"... And you, Wocky."

They didn't respond as they continued to hear her speech.

"I didn't think I would ever be involved with people such as yourselves, but you are all really the nicest people I've ever met."

"Thanks", Wocky said as he scratched the back of his neck.

Pearl smiled at him and said, "This was definately a difficult experience, Wocky, but... It was worth it. It was worth going through all that pain, because if I didn't, I wouldn't have Rosa."

Rosa was fast asleep in Pearl's arms at this point.

"And I wouldn't have this lovely family I have now."

Pearl then stood up and said, "This was always my dream, since I was eight years old... To find my 'special someone' and have a family of my own."

"I never thought about it", Wocky said, "I jus' wanted to marry somebody back then jus' so I could continue the family... That's why I got engaged to Alita all that time ago."

He then looked at Pearl and said, "But I'm glad things didn't work out with her because I'm much happier with you, Pea."

"I know", Pearl said with a smile, "And I'm happy with you."

Plum then stood up and said, "Shall we go the backyard and have some tea, then?"

"Sure", Pearl said as she and everyone else followed her to the back door leading to the garden.

**

Back at the mansion, the Wocky and Pearl were still sitting in the backyard having tea, while Rosa had her bottle. Winfred and Plum were off on the other side sitting at their own table.

"It's a nice day, isn't it?" Pearl asked as she looked out to the koi pond.

"Yeah", Wocky said as he did the same.

She looked at him and said, "I didn't know you liked tea."

"Gotten used to it", He said, "Since I'm gettin' old an' stuff."

"Twenty three isn't old..."

"I feel like it, though, since we've had Rosa."

He then took another gulp and said, "I remember Pops used to always tell me, 'Havin' a kid will change your life forever. When me an' your mom had you I had to start makin' decisions based 'round you.'"

"That's true", Pearl said.

"An' now that we have a kid... I have to do the same thing."

Wocky looked back out to the pond and went silent.

Pearl too went silent as she put Rosa's bottle down on the table and held her close.

"Rosa is so calm", She said, "She must like it out here."

"Must be the nature lovin' type", Wocky said.

Pearl giggled and said, "Maybe she is."

"You know", Wocky said, "If I would've married Alita, I honestly think I wouldn't have been as happy with her as I am with you."

"We already discussed this", Pearl said.

"I know, but... I jus' can't let go of it! I'll never forgive her for what she did to me... An' I feel sorry for the next guy that falls victim to her schemes."

"Yes, but she's in prison now, so you don't have to worry about her anymore... Look what you have now."

Wocky turned his head towards Pearl and looked at her, and then down to the very young girl she was holding.

"This is it", She said, "This is your new life, your brand new world..."

He then stood up and put his arms around her.

"No", He said, "This is _our_ brand new world."

"Oh", She said as she turned around and kissed them.

They then turned their heads back out to the pond, thinking about the future they were going to have with little Rosa.

* * *

_**Yay this fanfic is finally over after working on it for almost seven months! To all that stuck it out with me the whole way, I thank you. A lot of stuff happened while I was writing this, forcing me to put this on hiatus constantly, but I FINALLY got it done, just like I promised. I even made an epilogue after this chapter, so go check it out. And I've already started a new fanfic, so that will be up soon as well. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this fic.**_


	21. Epilogue

_**This is just a bonus chapter, or an epilogue, if you will.**_

* * *

Meanwhile, on the streets of the city, a man with blue baggy jeans, sneakers, scruffy blonde hair and goatee, orange jacket and white t-shirt was walking down the street with a woman with black hair up to her shoulders wearing large sunglasses and a pink sun hat, sundress and platform sandals.

"You like livin' with me so far?" The man asked as they walked towards the small house down the way.

"I suppose", The woman answered as she examined her pink nails.

"I... I still can't beleive we didn't get caught last night... Alita."

The woman now revealed to be Alita Tiala looked at the man and said, "Well, it's like I said before, Larry... That warden is an old hag, she doesn't pay a bit of attention to what's going on, making my escape much easier than I thought."

"I just hope she doesn't find out about this", The man, Larry Butz, said, "But if she does... I might as well have to find another job."

Alita snickered to herself and thought, _"This was all too easy! I knew this brainless idiot would do anything I say! Now I'm free, and I'll be able to get back at that stupid brat Wocky Kitaki!"_

They then reached Larry house and they walked inside after he unlocked the door.

**

"It sure is nice to be outside in fresh air again", Alita said as she sat down on Larry's couch, "Being in prison for four years has done a bit of damage to my overall beauty."

"I don't think so", Larry said, "You're beautiful no matter what!"

Alita giggled and said, "Why, thank you!"

"But", He added, "I wish you didn't dye your hair black... I liked it better when it was your original color."

"I had to change it", She answered, "I don't want anyone to find out who I am, so I had to change my look."

Normally Alita wore a frilly yellow dress with blue trim with feathers on the front with a clover brooch in the middle. She also wore blue platform sandals that Wocky had given her when she was still with him, but she ended up losing them due to them being evidence in the crime she was convicted of. She wore her hair in a bun as well, but with her disguise she decided to wear her hair loose and replaced her blue earrings with pink studs.

"I know, baby", Larry said, "But I liked you better the way you were."

Alita paid him no mind as she thought of a way to get back at her old fiancee.

_"Maybe I could pretend to flirt with him and make his wife think he's cheating on her! That would be hilarious... Or I could kidnap their baby and hold it for ransom... No, that's too risky. I like the first choice better..."_

"Hey, Alita?" Larry asked, "Somethin' wrong?"

"Oh, no", Alita answered, "I'm fine, but... My name isn't Alita anymore."

"What?" He asked, "It's not?"

"No", She said, "Since I changed my look, I have to change my name... So my new name will be..."

She then put on her sunglasses and said, "Adela Adeal."

"'A dollar a deal?" Larry asked.

Alita rolled her eyes and said, "No... Adela Adeal. I just thought of it on the spot."

She then reverted back to her 'sweet' facade and said, "Aren't I clever?"

"Yeah", He answered, "Of course! I would've never thought of that!"

He then thought for a moment and said, "Though I too had a pen name: Laurice Deauxnim."

Alita snickered and said, "Laurice? How on earth did you come up with that?"

"I used to be an artist", He said, "But after my mentor, Elise Deauxnim- Well, we ended up finding out that she was really Misty Fey, Nick's friend's mom and used to be the leader of her village or something like that."

_"Sounds like that girl Wocky married had quite a bit of a background", _Alita thought, _"She probably has more money than the Kitakis!"_

"So, yeah... Her sister, Morgan Fey, was in the prison I worked at... A-And the one you just broke out of..."

"You mean the woman that kept getting all those letters?"

"Yeah... Her daughter, Pearl, was the one that wrote them, obviously."

Alita looked off to the side and said, "I've met that girl before..."

"You have?" Larry asked.

"Yes", She answered, "According to what you told me, I'm guessing she was there to visit her mother... And she was with that... Brat."

"Brat? Who're ya talkin' about, babe?"

"Her... Ugh... 'Husband' she spouted on about in those letters we read! Wocky Kitaki!"

"Oh! So you know her husband, then?"

"All too well..."

Alita then went silent.

Larry went up closer to her and asked, "... Did something happen between you?"

She continued to look away from him and said, "... He's the reason I was thrown in that nasty prison."

Larry gasped in shock and said, "What?! What did he do to you?!"

_"This is all too easy", _Alita thought as she looked at her 'boyfriend' with fake, tearful eyes.

"He did horrible things!"

"Like what?"

"He... H-He framed me! He framed me for murdering some doctor I used to work for!"

"Wow..."

"A-And I tried to tell them! I tried to say that Wocky was the true criminal! But... Nobody beleived me! I was just a simple girl trying to get by in the world... And what happens? Some gangster punk goes and ruins my life!"

Alita at this point was crying, and Larry was buying every bit of her fake sob story.

"Oh, Alita", Larry said as he hugged her, "It's alright... But... Oh, no..."

"What?" Alita asked.

"H-He's Pearl's husband... A-And... What if he's treating her bad like he did you?"

"Probably, but that girl is probably too stupid to notice anything..."

"Maybe..."

"S-Speaking of which", Alita said as she continued to sob, "I... I-I-I was engaged to that horrible man!"

"What?!" Larry exclaimed.

"Y-Yes", She said, "I-It happened when I was still working as a nurse at that clinic... W-With the doctor I was accusing of killing... Anyway, he pretty much forced me to marry him... A-And if I refused his proposal he was going to put me on his hit list!"

"Oh, babe", He said as he continued to hold her, "That's so terrible... If only Pearl could see the light at realize that that Wocky dude is bad news..."

"And she had a child with him", She continued, "Oh, she's probably going to come out as bad as him! If only I could save her and make her my own... To get her away from that gangster trash..."

"Yeah..."

Alita then pulled away from Larry and said, "But enough about that."

She then walked towards Larry's bedroom and said, "I'm going to take a shower... I'll be back."

"Alright", Larry said.

As Alita walked out of the room, she put on a Cheshire Cat style grin and thought, _"What a doofus! He completely fell for that! Now the only thing left to do is to find the Kitaki's mansion from here... And pay them a little visit... As Adela Adeal."_

**

Morgan Fey was being escorted back to her cell after breakfast. She still thought about her new granddaughter, and was actually very excited to meet her.

"_I don't care who Rosa's father is", _She thought as she walked down the dreary hallway, _"I bet she'll turn out to be brilliant and a prodigy, just like my Pearl... However... She might end up not having any spiritual power, due to it being drowned out by that Willy fellow... Somehow that's unlikely, because Pearl's powers are very-"_

"ARRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!"

Morgan and the guard she was with jumped as she shouted, "Oh, my! What was that horrible screech?!"

The Warden came storming down the hallway from the cell room and headed towards them.

"W-W-What's wrong, ma'am?" The guard asked fearfully.

"We've got a problem, Rick", She said, "A _huge_ problem!"

"What happened?"

"Well", The Warden said as she paced around, "One of the inmates is missing, is what! I haven't seen Alita Tiala since last Friday!"

"N-Now, Bernice-"

"That's Ms. Bernice to you, youngin'!"

"M-Ms. Bernice, maybe Ms. Tiala was moved to another cell..."

"I gave no such orders", Warden Bernice said.

"U-Uh oh..."

"And", She continued, "I lost the cell keys around that time! I had to get the spares from the other warden!"

Rick didn't say anything.

Bernice then got up in his face and said, "And do you know where I finally found the missing keys?"

He gulped and said, "W-Where?"

"On the floor at your guard station!" She yelled.

"What?! I-I wasn't even on duty on Friday night! My shift ended at 5:00 PM!"

"Well, if it wasn't you, then who was it?!"

"W-When I got off my shift", Rick continued, "Larry Butz took my place at my station, and was there for the rest of the night... So it had to be him!"

Bernice started to fume even more and yelled, "WHAT?! THAT DUNDERHEAD BUTZ STOLE THEM?!"

"It had to be!" Rick said, "He was the last person at my station yesterday! And what makes it even more apparent is that he has a huge thing for Ms. Tiala! I saw them together a lot!"

The warden slapped her forehead and said, "Why didn't I see this coming?! I knew that Butz kid was nothing but trouble! But... To break out an inmate?! That's just inexcusable!"

She then walked back to her office and said, "That's it, I'm firing him right now! And later I'm gonna go put out a prison escape alert! We've gotta catch that Tiala!"

"A-Alright", Rick said as he walked Morgan to her cell, "I'll see you later, then."

He then turned to Morgan and said, "Sorry, Ms. Fey. The warden gets very upset when things such as this happen."

"I see", She said as she continued to think about Pearl and Rosa, not paying attention to the situation at all.


End file.
